As Iowa may be nearing peak hunting season for morel mushrooms, Guthrie County Conservation gives some tips on finding the elusive treat.

Guthrie County Conservation Director Joe Hanner says he believes the best time to find morels is when lilacs have bloomed. He shares some methods for finding morels, “I prefer to hunt like successional woodlands and I love to look for dead elm trees that have been dead 1-2 years. They’ll have some bark on them and the twigs and (I) really try to look those areas over pretty thoroughly, but you can find them just about anywhere.”

Though he enjoys the hunt, Hanner is actually allergic to morel mushrooms, and he advises newcomers to take their time and be careful in consuming the fungi. True morels can also be confused with a poisonous look alike, so hunters should learn how to identify the difference before eating them.