I know that people like to pick morels, and sell them, its not a hard thing to make a few bucks here and there, But its really getting to me because i am hearing and seeing a lot more people just picking 2 0r 3 ...5 gallon buckets filled with them just to sell them, even people who do not like them, and its getting to me because O love to hunt them and eat them, i will pick a mother load just to save them, then friends and family can come an eat some with me, and then i try to save enough to have once a week or every other week to last until next spring. But this year my friend who works at the park, said he has not seen so may people before. he said they are just coming from every directions, and he has heard them selling them and everything.
Before long we will have to get a license we will end up having to get a license and a bag limit because people are going on picking frenzies and the shrooms may not be able to reproduce, who knows if its all a bunch of mumbo jumbo flowing from my mouth, may be a little dis heartend from missing most of the season but, truly its upsetting that greed is stomping a tradition taught down the lines from our families. My brother is one of these people and i know he was taught better, he made 700 buck off very little mushrooms last year, and , he no longer cares about eating them, it kid of makes me sick, I would rather give them to family or friends, instead of selling them, I am sure if i needed the money i maybe would sell some, but not make habit, because really all it is is going out and picking green. I guess money does grow off trees in some sort of way. Unfortunately it also stops you and i from going out and enjoying a few days in the woods, because people are trampling all over them, and ruining our past times, and yeah I love to find a mother load, but i will put that mother load to good use, Taking from nature to make monetary gain, maybe its me but it makes me sad. Just a thought.
Julia

money and greed... it's the american way im sad to say. There are professionals and those will tell you to leave some mushrooms behind and not to trample the woods... they take care of their spots. There are others who are ignorant and greedy and will strip the land of all its treasures and move to the next area. It's been going on for hundreds of years here.

I know your feeling though... in a kind of related "overharvesting" I recently learned about some history of the past logging that happened in MI and the industry for it in my city from long ago. early colonies timbered this entire area (around the mouth of Lake Huron) of all the forest (was known for huge pines) so they could build warships to fight in the war of 1812. They completely stripped the land of its worth. starting in 1770, they had clear cut and destroyed the land by 1840, a mere 70 years. We lost all of our virgin timber to go fight a war. Also, because of all that timbering the industry here was huge, So they just kept timbering the rest of the land. draining swamps for farmland and destroying rivers and streams. heck, there was so much slash (lumbering scraps/branches etc.) that it led to Michigan's great fire of 1871 in MI and burned over 2 million acres, and then another several years later from logging, again, The Thumb Fire in 1881 over 1 million acres BURNED IN ONE DAY...

It's a bit sad that money has become a factor in changing the culture of the park you're talking about. Around where I live unemployment is very high, so I can understand that some people will do anything to make some extra money, but at the same time it's a real pity that that is what it comes down to.

I don't have a problem with it. People need money and if you have a skill you can use then why not.

Next month I'm going up north for the purpose of selling morels I find. They were going for $75/lb. last year.

$75/lb? Do you sell them to restaurants or some sort of mushroom wholesaler? I've never found enough to try selling, but I'm curious.

im not against it by any means... i pick em and i'd be a hypocrite to say i wouldnt pick and sell, though i havent done so yet. There are pickers and there are buyers... and i am a picker that's for sure :)

coming back to this...picking and selling mushrooms doesn't differ a whole lot from from selling fruit, fish, ...

Sell em if ya need to. But I'm try to limit info on WHERE to go..... I did my research and learned what to do. If ya make the diehards learn what and where to go n do.... Ya limit the infiltrators pirating and selling without keeping the sport alive an well. Don't mention the county or nuthin

[ Post made via iPhone ]

They are sold at roadside stands out of people's vehicles.

I've never sold mine before but I've seen some of these people selling them very quickly for a good price. I've been offered money for the ones I've found many times.

Would'nt surprize me that in the future you'll need a license to sell mushrooms in Michigan as you do in some other states..