eat-bolete Posted November 21, 2014 Report Share Posted November 21, 2014 If you happen to meet a fellow mushroom hunter in the woods and the person noticed you and doesn't seem to want to strike a conversation or such, what's the right thing to do? Walk some other direction? Or is it OK to stay in the same area, especially if you know certain spots there? In fishing, especially during opening of a season it gets crazy, people stand shoulder to shoulder, casting in the same spot alternately, etc. It's considered to be a norm, while during other times a bit of space is nice to have at least to avoid tangling of the lines...so does similar thinking applies? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted November 21, 2014 Report Share Posted November 21, 2014 This can be a big problem in areas where commercial mushroom hunting is common. In a burn-site out west that's producing good numbers of morels the competition can get dicey. It may be in one's best interest to simply leave an area where a unified group of hunters is foraging, as they may concentrate their efforts in such a way that minimizes your harvest... eg. form a moving circle around the outsider. Here in the east I don't encounter these types of problems. If I run across another mushroom hunter, the most common thing is that we have a short discussion about mushrooms and then just each move on. the most popular edible around here is Armillaria, popinkees, as the locals call them. They are not hunted commercially, and when a good flush is underway, substantial fruitings are not difficult to find. A few years back (one of the really good years) I had harvested portions of a Grifola fruiting over the course of three weeks... the same fruiting that someone else was harvesting piecemeal. The old dead oak tree had Hens coming up one after another, and which ever one of us harvesters hit that spot only took part of the mature/prime mushroom. I never actually ran across this other person! I don't even go out fishing on opening day of trout any more... too many people, water too high/cold, trout are used to feeding on stuff like corn. Trout begins in NE PA mid April. I usually start trout fishing around May 12, when I am usually able to walk 1/4 mile of nice stream without running into many --if any-- other people fishing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eat-bolete Posted November 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2014 I guess I shouldn't worry about morel competition, as far as I know they don't grow on Long Island. I'm glad people are considerate sometimes. It's a tradition now that every April we go to PA for trout opening (on Lehigh river), it gets crazy, but I'm not tired of it yet. Fish is abundant, and the last couple of years the weather was so miserable that it wasn't actually that crowded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dualsetters Posted November 21, 2014 Report Share Posted November 21, 2014 Ethics are tough, most modern people have very limited time in the woods and many will race to get ahead of you. When fly fishing proper etiquette is to fish downstream of someone you come across being that the most fish upstream. Or you can move far enough upstream that you won't burn the water for the next person. Its also proper to keep moving and not plant yourself in the holes. As far as mushroom hunting I think it wise to just go a different direction if you see someone. I usually stop and ask which way another hunter (mushroom or bird hunter) is going and tell them which way I will be heading. Its too easy. I also find that if I have a good spot its a good idea not to pick mushrooms in front of others who may beat me to my own spot next time . In my experiences, the weekend warriors who might compete for a spot are best left to do as they please. Not for their good fortune, but to avoid conflict. Its supposed to be fun and its no fun if you run into a dilemma that could have been avoided. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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