How to Get Started Mushroom Hunting

You'll be happy to hear that there is not much you need to get started!

To be honest, when my brother and I first started, we didn't have a mushroom knife, no field guide or anything else you 'need' to get started. We just went to the closest wooded area we could find and started looking around! We started looking in the Maple Valley / Black Diamond, WA area and were surprised with how much success we had! If you don't plan on consuming mushrooms there is no harm in just seeing what you can find! Here are some of the highlights from our first trip:

Russula Brevipes

Russula Brevipes Black Diamond Open Area WA Washington

Stopharia Ambigua

Stopharia Ambigua Black Diamond Open Area WA Washington

Elfin Saddle (Helvella lacunosa)

Elfin Saddle Helvella lacunosa Black Diamond Open Area WA Washington Elfin Saddle Helvella lacunosa Black Diamond Open Area WA Washington

Those are some crazy looking mushrooms right?? And they were only a 5min drive from us!

Now, at the time, our strategy was pick ones we thought looked interesting, take them home and then try to identify them. This was really helpful early on when we were just learning about mushrooms, but I wouldn't recommend the same approach if I were to start over.

Each mushroom you pick disturbs a fragile ecosystem. So please be mindful of your impact to your local ecosystem when deciding whether or not to pick. This is a judgement call and it is up to you to decide what seems right to you. Even if a mushroom is rotted and soggy, that mushroom still likely provides some benefits to another animal or the soil.

We have had plenty of fun on trips just casually looking for mushrooms, taking pictures of mushrooms so we can identify later and leaving the mushrooms where they are. If you do plant to pick or want to get more serious about searching for mushrooms, we have some suggestions below.

Searching for Wild Mushrooms

First and foremost, DO NOT CONSUME ANY MUSHROOMS UNLESS YOU ARE OKAY WITH THE RISKS OF MISIDENTIFICATION!! We do not recommend anyone consumes foraged mushrooms, you don't have to consume mushrooms to have fun searching for and identifying them. Regardless of what you decided, here are some tips for when you get more serious about searching for wild mushrooms:

  1. Get involved with your local mushroom community
  2. Get at least 2 good field guides
  3. Understand your seasons
  4. Pick one mushroom to start with

1. Get involved with your local mushroom community

You are likely going to have ALOT of questions when you get started and it's great to have a community of people you can ask question like:

  • Is this chantrelle too soggy to eat?
  • What the heck kind of mushroom is this???
  • Can anyone confirm this is an oyster mushroom?

You can't trust all the advice you get online, but this can be a good way to triple or quadruple check that you've identified the mushroom you're looking for and maybe meet some friends to go mushroom hunting with!

Here in the Pacific Northwest, we are lucky to have a couple great Facebook communities that I would definitely recommend joining if you are in the area. If not, I'm sure there is something simliar where you live!

  •  Pacific Northwest Mushroom Social Club
  •  Pacific Northwest Mushroom Identification Forum

2. Get at least 2 good field guides

I can't emphasize enough VERIFY VERIFY VERIFY you have the mushrooms you think you have. Using more than one field guide is a great way to increase your odds of correctly identifying a mushroom. As an example, these are some photos of what we thought was a white chantrelle:

White Chantrelle Cantharellus subalbidus Leavenworth WA Washington White Chantrelle Cantharellus subalbidus Leavenworth WA Washington

Here is the field guide picture:

It looks similar.. But is it the same??

In this case, it was, but wouldn't you feel better if you had at least one other field guide to see the same mushroom with maybe slightly different coloring, lighting or at a different angle?

If you are looking for a field guide check out some books we recommend below:
  •  Top 5 Washington State Mushroom Books
  •  Top 5 Pacific Northwest Mushroom Books

3. Understand your seasons

Depending on where you live, different mushrooms will pop up during different seasons. In the Pacific Northwest Oysters and Morel's are generally thought of as a Spring mushrooms and Chantrelle's are generally thought of as Fall mushrooms, but this can vary slightly from season to season. I have personally found Oysters in late Fall and found my most boutiful harvest of Chatrelle's in late Summer!

It's important to know you seasons so you know what you're looking for. I found a great resource specific to the PNW for this at chefs-resources.com

4. Pick one mushroom to start with

When you go out, I think it is helpful to have a plan for what you want to search for next. Not only does it help narrow down the areas you might want to search in, but it also allows you to do a little reasearch beforehand. In a good mushroom field guide there should be some notes are the types of habitats you are most likely to find the mushroom you are looking for, it should also indicate whether there are dangerous look-a-likes that you need to be cautious of. Trust me, it is much easier to do this research when you're at home rather than in the field. The Mushroom Identification Facebook Group is another place to do a bit of research, you will often see post pictures of their spoils indicating the general area/elevation they found the mushrooms which can be really helpful to get started.

And that's it!

You should have more than enough information to get started! Just remember, you can take mushroom hunting as seriously or as casually as you want. If you want to stroll in the woods and perhaps stumble upon some mushrooms, great! If you want to have a big harvest, that's fine too! The most important thing is to have fun, respect nature and stay safe!