Shroom hunting Mushroom Hunting in Florida

[nouse4aname84]

Just moved from ohio to florida and decided to go out hunting for the mush in a cow pasture. It rained yesterday and was sunny all day today which i would think would be the best time to look for them. well, i didnt find anything besides a reason to get on here and get some suggestions. i was thinking about trying in the morning rather then the evening. Any help would be greatly apreciated

[Thegreatone]

by a book so u know what ur picking.... and iv been told that its a rumer that mushies only grow on cow shit... go to shoomery someone there will prolly no alot.

[scientist101]

I grew up in north east florida. I always have better success in the early a.m. i have found them all day long but it is much easier to go at night and you dont have to worry as much about getting caught. some farmers feed something to their cows to inhibit shroom growth, i think it is salt. cow patties are the best place to look if they are not there they are not anywhere.

[sloppo]

I would highly advise getting a good field guide for that area. Know which species you are after and where they like to grow. Not all active mushrooms grow exclusivily on cow patties. And never eat any mushroom that you are not certain about.





Sloppo

[Zandorf]

the best conditions for mushrooms are when the reletive humidity goes
above 85% for at least 2 consecutive days (i would imagine that happens
at least once a week in florida) rain=100% rh.

[scientist101]

just make sure the mushrooms you pick have a purple veil underneath. it is easy you dont need a field guide.

[Frivolous248]

So SWIM and his buddy have tried hunting numerous times at what they thought would be a good time for shrooms to be growing, and they've found nothing.

SWIM has been to multiple fields and is always unsuccessful. Which really sucks because swim thought for sure he'd have more luck living in 'shroom capital' usa.

Now swim knows there are numerous reasons that a field may not have mushies, too new and not innoculated, other hunters, cows not fed off land, etc.

SWIM is wondering if anyone has any suggestions on how to be more successful. SWIM usually goes a day after its rained, he'd like to go tonight as it rained quite a bit yesterday and today is warm, those are good conditions right?

Also if lots of cactus is growing you think that would make mushies not want to grow there?

and please spare me the "don't eat anything you aren't sure of" speel because thats not what I'm asking, swim has done his homework and plans to be safe.

Thanks in advance.

Oh, also, another quick question.

SWIM has heard of a rumor from two people that heard it from others that cows can be given shots to prevent shrooms from growing.

One field swim has tried is behind a school, which if they were to give cows shots for that swim thinks that'd be a field they'd do it on.

Any truth to this sort of thing?

[Nagognog2]

That's why it's called hunting, not finding! <giggle>

[MurphAl]

any luck man?

[ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond]

SWIM is very interested in shroom hunting in the central Florida area. SWIM has never gone shroom hunting and would appreciate some input on where to look in the Central Florida area.

[runitsthepolice]

Check cow shit. Seriously though, this could be considered sources discussion. You realize cops/the dea can and do read this website right? Go ahead and advertise what fields you're gonna be at so the local police alert the angry rednecks around the area to shoot you on sight. Never know what a violent psychedelic drug user might do, best to shoot first and ask questions later. This is not the place to ask how or where to get illegal substances.

[Coconut]

I do not believe that telling someone where psychedelic mushrooms are prone to growing falls under the discussion of sources.

In humid climates such as that in Florida, mushrooms will be especially abundant in cow pastures and fields if there is rain followed by prolonged sunshine.

As SWIY has never gone hunting before, SWIY must also be lectured on the very real dangers of this an activity: not only is it illegal, but identifying wild mushrooms requires a high level of expertise. Consuming the wrong mushroom, as we all know, can lead to a slow and painful death. In my tree's opinion, SWIY should consider doing a course in mycology and befriending experts.

[Heretic.Ape.]

To clarify, discussion of what type of habitats various species of mushrooms or other plants are likely to be found is fine. However, things along the lines of "if you go down old Chestnut Road and take a left into the second farm on the left..." are another matter.

identifying wild mushrooms requires a high level of expertise. Consuming the wrong mushroom, as we all know, can lead to a slow and painful death. In my tree's opinion, SWIY should consider doing a course in mycology and befriending experts.

Listen to this.

If you take a look, there are a few threads that discuss identification and hunting stickied at the top of this forum to help get started on finding more information. Tell your friend to be safe and study up before a picking endeavor.

[sandoz1943]

This is one of the joys of living in the sub tropics.
Be careful if you decide to jump the fence. Alot of farmers load thier guns with rock salt (very painful) some with bullets. be respectful and dont damage the fence or leave garbage in his fields.
Best time is in the early morning (flashlights can be seen a great distance away). You want to wait until it's been raining at least a couple of days. Mushrooms can be found growing in the shit. look for large clumps of tall grass this will help you find the patties. If you go under a tree draw a line from the farthest branches from the trunk to the ground and check there.
There are some good pics online but a key thing is if you bruise the correct mushrooms the bruise will be purple-ish. The gills should be purple not brown. There is a variety here that looks exactly the same but with brown gills and they are poision. Best to have someone experienced who can guide you the first time out.
Never walk back to the car bag in hand. If the cops see your car sitting they will wait there for you to return. Throw the bag over the fence and walk back to the car empty handed. You can tell the cop you were catching snakes taking a piss, picking flowers what ever. If the coast is clear you can then retrieve your bag of goodies safely.
There are ticks, chiggers, and lots and lots of mosquitos. Wear some mosiquito repelent, closed toe shoes, and tuck your jeans in to tube socks. It will be hot as hell but beats chiggers and ticks.
Welcome to Florida and Happy hunting!

sandoz1943 added 203 Minutes and 17 Seconds later...

In case anyone is not familiar with chiggers they are like lice that burrow under your skin. Looks like small red bumps and alot of people mistake it for a rash until it starts itching and spreading. When you itch you spread them around. They can painful and the itching is pretty intense.

This is why you need to wear real shoes when hunting.

[crunchyblack]

Originally Posted by sandoz1943

This is one of the joys of living in the sub tropics.
Be careful if you decide to jump the fence. Alot of farmers load thier guns with rock salt (very painful) some with bullets. be respectful and dont damage the fence or leave garbage in his fields.
Best time is in the early morning (flashlights can be seen a great distance away). You want to wait until it's been raining at least a couple of days. Mushrooms can be found growing in the shit. look for large clumps of tall grass this will help you find the patties. If you go under a tree draw a line from the farthest branches from the trunk to the ground and check there.
There are some good pics online but a key thing is if you bruise the correct mushrooms the bruise will be purple-ish. The gills should be purple not brown. There is a variety here that looks exactly the same but with brown gills and they are poision. Best to have someone experienced who can guide you the first time out.
Never walk back to the car bag in hand. If the cops see your car sitting they will wait there for you to return. Throw the bag over the fence and walk back to the car empty handed. You can tell the cop you were catching snakes taking a piss, picking flowers what ever. If the coast is clear you can then retrieve your bag of goodies safely.
There are ticks, chiggers, and lots and lots of mosquitos. Wear some mosiquito repelent, closed toe shoes, and tuck your jeans in to tube socks. It will be hot as hell but beats chiggers and ticks.
Welcome to Florida and Happy hunting!

sandoz1943 added 203 Minutes and 17 Seconds later...

In case anyone is not familiar with chiggers they are like lice that burrow under your skin. Looks like small red bumps and alot of people mistake it for a rash until it starts itching and spreading. When you itch you spread them around. They can painful and the itching is pretty intense.

This is why you need to wear real shoes when hunting.

I love chiggers! You can use OFF deep woods and it helps against them not 100% but cuts down 90% I think.