The spring turkey seasons have now passed for another year. I’m not in the woods nearly as often as I am when I have an open turkey tag in my pocket. To be honest, having an open tag isn’t the worst thing in the world in that it gives me a reason to multi-task. Foraging for mushrooms with an open turkey tag makes an afternoon gobble much more exciting. Being interrupted by a gobble when I am mushroom hunting and vice versa makes for a great hunt.

I was checking out a mushroom spot that has been fairly consistent over the past few years. This particular finger of woods has become hallowed ground. It’s a place where I have field dressed deer, cleaned turkeys, trapped my very first fisher, and snapped bobcat trail camera pictures. I was halfway through the narrow drainage when out of the blue a gobble hammered from the hillside to the north. My best guess was that the tom turkey was a couple hundred yards above me and right along wood line. I called sporadically while I eased in his direction trying to cut the distance between us.

The tom initially held up his part of the deal. He gobbled enough for me to pinpoint his location. He was coming closer but ever so slowly. I made it to a spot where I was going to run out of cover so this was where I was going to make my stand. To make a long story shorter, that is where this turkey story ends. The tom drifted away and that was that.  

That’s how I ended up where I did. I turned to walk away and that’s when I saw them stretched out in clusters on a log: oyster mushrooms. Oyster mushrooms are the less popular cousin to the morel mushroom.  

Fun facts about oyster mushrooms: they are a good source of protein, fiber, antioxidants, and are being studied for their potential in combating various diseases. Despite their appearance, oyster mushrooms are also carnivores, feeding on microscopic nematodes. (Google saver – a nematode is a type or roundworm).

Oyster mushrooms typically latch onto downed trees and logs and can be found throughout the year. The good news is that when you find them, they are often in clusters. As far as taste, they are similar to morels but also different in that they are generally considered mild in flavor, making them versatile for various dishes. In an unofficial taste test, Big Thunder Dan reported that among his mushroom cronies they were split down the middle between morels and oyster mushrooms.  

I worked my way towards the east end of the decaying log and was amazed by the sheer number of mushrooms. On a guess there had to be at least 200 mushrooms. I picked only enough for a couple of meals knowing that the log wasn’t going to run off like some ungrateful aforementioned tom turkey that slipped out the back door on me. Then again, I can’t be too mad. He did lead me to those mushrooms.

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