I, for one, would be willing to help people put up web pages, scan pics, etc.

Normally, I would put one up myself, but I know that there are many people more qualified than I (wizard, Sean, etc.)

So how about it, Mods?

There has to be a separation between:

Knowlegde of mushroom hunting (forum info)

and...

Understanding mushroom hunting (personal experience)

Knowledge is where one might begin, by studying and researching.

Understanding is what happens when you are standing with a field of mushrooms under you.

The problem that must be overcome is the proper balance of these two.

I have seen potent mushrooms, weak mushrooms, and deadly poisonous mushrooms, I'm no expert, but I know enough to understand my land, as I've hunted here for over a decade or whatever...

I'm a bit troubled with the notion that someone would think that they understood, when they actually only knew... this could lead to a mistake on their judgement, and I just couldn't have it on my consciousness that I had something to do with anyone accidentally injesting a poisonous mushroom that hurt them.

There allready is the Hunting Forum, try and adjust the downarrow button that determines how many days back are shown. You just might find all the info you want.

Personally, I feel this forum is a well oiled machine and has a good record of DTBM (Down Time Between Maintenance)

You seem to want to get more involved?

Please do, I'm sure the feeling is mutual!

"Go out to the cow fields, at night. Look around for purple tops. When you find them, look around and if there's a little brown shroom beside it, that's the one you want."

That was the advice I got from a local guy who had been shrooming for quite a few years. You and I both know that not every little brown mushroom is a real shroom. Yet there are people like this who continue to tell people their advice, no matter how bad.

Setting up regional guides would help people better understand what's in their area--good and bad. The hunting board is great--if people have a question, they post it--before they eat the shrooms.

What happens when someone finds an underdeveloped shroom? Or they find a different color or variety? The majority of people around here that hunt, would more than likely eat the shrooms first, then worry if it's poisonous later.

This is starting to sound like the big sex-ed debate going on in HS's today: one side says "if we teach them about all this and give them condoms, they're just going to do it more" The other side says: "yeah, but at least they'll be safe"...I consider this debate to be very similer....

The best way to hunt for shrooms is with an experienced person. But for those who don't have a mentor to show them the ropes, this is the last stop for them. If they are determined to do it,they will anyway, with or without the help of the shroomery.

B

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"Kicks like a Willys in 4-wheel drive"

But that is the risk you take when you hunt for shrooms--experienced, or not...

What do you suggest the people who have never hunted before do? You are so dead set against this. Do you think by having this it will give people a false sense of security when they go hunting? Maybe so. But I still think if they are equipped with more info, there's less of a chance that they actually pick something poisonous...

People are going to pick regardless of how much info they actually know.

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"Kicks like a Willys in 4-wheel drive"

I indeed do not encourage anyone to go mushroom hunting. Likewise I do not discourage anyone from mushroom hunting.

This topic is quite complex, there are many factors to be considered.

Our discusssion on this forum is what will make a difference!

Maybe we can round up some other people to help further this discussion...

I've talked to some people locally, who have come here on my request, to further their knowlege of hunting shrooms...Some of them found it diffucult to decide which shrooms were actually growing here...

In these parts, we mainly just get gulfcoast cubies but we do in fact get pan trops sometimes...So, it's kinda hard for someone that lives in california, or oregon, to decide what we will find here in GA...Every region is different--sometimes there are exceptions in what grows where...

Regional hunting guides would bring more information to these people. Not to metion inform them of their local laws regarding possesion of them, growing them, etc. I, personally, think that you could never have enough information about the subject of shroom hunting.

And with the regional guides, we could have many, many ics of what to look for...Including what each shroom looks like at the variuos stages of growth..Those are always handy

Some more things for you to ponder..

B

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"Kicks like a Willys in 4-wheel drive"

Alot of times, regional mushroom questions go un-answered in the hunting forum. If people had a guide they could go to and click on for their state or region, it would answer 90% of their questions before posting in the hunting forum. You know the "do shrooms grow near me" questions get very old, and this guide would help eliminate those questions. Even for experianced mushroom hunters this would be a great idea. He/she would be able to click on the state they live in, and check out past picking sucsess in their area.

You have my support on this idea :)

The Lizard,

Good ideas!