So I've got a little spot along a public bike trail system that I like to hit often. It's no big secret that a lot of folks hunt shrooms along the trail, but this one little spot is always overlooked by other shroomers. I think it's either because it just doesn't look like the other popular spots or because you have to bust through a little bit of brush to get to it from the trail. Either way, I've been hitting the spot for several years and there is never any evidence of others scrounging around there and it can be a real sleeper.
I hit the spot several times a week during morel season but I try to be as stealthy as I can. I always make sure no one is around before I slip off the trail and stash my bike behind a dead fall. I can usually hear people coming before I can see them so I just stand still in a shadow or against a tree until they've passed and 99% never notice me there at all.
Well one day last season just as the spot was starting to turn on, a guy spotted me from the trail and skidded to a stop to ask if I was finding any. Of course I told him no but he could see that I was trying to hide my bag behind my back. I went back the following afternoon and I'll be damned if it didn't look like a herd of elephants had been through there with leaf rakes. At first I thought a flock of turkeys had scratched it all up until I started finding the candy wrappers and handfuls of peanut shells. From there on out they hit it several more times. I was only able to hunt in the afternoon and they obviously were hitting it in the mornings. By season's end the spot was trampled hard and I only found really tiny ones there.
I made my first trek to this spot a few days ago and there was no evidence of anyone having been in there yet. Only found one so I decided to give it a few days. Went back this afternoon and I'll be damned if the peanut bandit hasn't struck again. Damned shells were everywhere and the place was all tore up again. Only found 5 and they were really small. Had a good run on that spot for a few years but I think I may have to hang my hat on it now.
-------------------- Shawn Wheaton
Missouri Waterfowl Association
Westside Chapter Chairman
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Peanut eatin bandit strikes again
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