There’s a springtime delicacy that many Iowans know doesn’t involve a trip to the grocery store.

Several Guthrie County residents have already found success in hunting morel mushrooms, which rely on ideal moisture and temperature conditions for growth. Guthrie County Conservation Director Brad Halterman says morel hunting can be a great way to spend your free time, while following social distancing guidelines, “It’s a time for folks to get out into the timbers and out into nature and enjoy the springtime weather, get some exercise. It’s something that you can go out and hunt and collect and take home and prepare and have some table fare and some really good food that mother nature can provide for you.”

Halterman says morels can usually be found near trees, and now through the middle of May is generally the best time to find the wild edible. He advises hunters going out to explore to make sure they ask permission before entering private property, and be mindful of any spring turkey hunters.