We've been asked by the admins to condense our 5 sticky threads into one for the sake of neatness, so here you have it:
Outline of this thread:
I. Hunting Forum rules
---- a. Common courtesy
---- b. Trusted identifiers
II. Accurate mushroom descriptions
II. Tips for those new to the hobby
IV. Important/helpful links
V. Credits
I. Mushroom Hunting Forum rules
1. No requesting or revealing specific locations.
Locations NOT allowed: Business names, shopping centers, when specific directions are given to a location, any place with an address.
Use common sense about what might be considered a specific location. When in doubt, do the moderators a favor and just don't say it. If your post gets edited then it was deemed unacceptable. If you have problems with this please send a private message to the moderator in question.
2. No asking for hunting partners.
The Hunting Forum is for identification purposes, we are not a hook up of any kind. If you would like to request a hunting buddy, make a thread about it in the Gathering Forum. You will gain access to the gathering forum after being a member for more than 60 days and when you have reached more than 100 posts.
3. Do not ask if the current weather is "good for shrooms."
These threads are flat out annoying, and will be locked. This information can easily be found with a little bit of research.
As a general rule of thumb, if it has rained within the last 2-3 days, and the temperatures are correct for the type of mushroom you're looking for, then *yes* it is possible that the mushroom you are looking for is growing.
4. Do NOT ask what mushrooms can be found growing in your state or imediate area.
This information is easily found in the Mushroom Hunting FAQ and/or has been posted at least once elsewhere on the net.
5. Never give an identification if you believe you might be wrong, and never suggest that anyone eat an unidentified mushroom. Mushroom Hunting can be a dangerous hobby if you're ill-advised. An inaccurate ID could be the difference between life and death. If you think what you're about to say might be wrong, either double check it, very clearly disclaim it or just don't say it.
6. Do NOT ask for an id on any mushroom[s] you may find until you have read and satisfied the required information in part II of this post to the best of your ability.
if you do so repeatedly, your offending post[s] will be thrown out until you can start following the rules.
7. Do NOT complain about the weather in your area. These posts serve no purpose in the Hunting Forum. They are pure clutter. Posting in the Hunting Forum about bad weather conditions will not help the weather conditions improve. Please keep lamenting about poor weather in your area to yourself.
8. Do NOT ask about current finds in your area. These posts have been flooding the forum at the start of seasons. If you're curious about if mushrooms are growing in your area, get out there and look! Mushrooms don't read the books. Sometimes they fruit outside of season. There is no set date for any season, only vast generalizations. Your best bet is that if it's close to the season for the mushroom you are looking for, you just might find some.
9. You must follow rules that apply to all forums. Please refer to this document if you are unsure what proper posting conduct is.
a. Common courtesy
If you see someone violating a rule outlined in the thread (like asking for an ID without providing enough information) please refer them to this FAQ and do NOT flame them or even argue. It's the job of us, the moderators and the administrators to deal with anyone who is not following the rules, so please don't break them yourselves trying to enforce them.
If you are making an identification request, have some common courtesy and use proper grammar. This is a message board, not an AOL chatroom. We do not appreciate posts asking "Wut r these shroomz??????"
Just the same, it is not appreciated when a thread is made with just a picture of some random mushrooms with the question "What are these?"
Lastly, most of the people in this forum are into the hunting hobby because they have a passion for mycology. If you're hunting mushrooms just to get high, don't tell us "I don't care what they are if they're not active," as statements like these wreak of ignorance and they are frowned upon. Please do us a favor and read the Mushroom Hunting FAQ and/or do a Google search before you post, there's a good chance you'll find the answer to your question there.
Please read about and learn how to use the Reply-to feature. It is very important for effective communication on this forum.
b. Trusted names *Important*
We've had some problems with people making incorrect IDs. Don't take everyone's word as valid when asking for an identification. Taking the wrong person's advice could get you killed in this hobby. Be careful.
Experienced people who can be trusted with mushroom identification are (this list will grow over time):
- All Mushroom Hunting Forum Moderators (they change over time, so they are included below)
- Gumby
- angryshroom
- bluemeanie
- shroomydan
- eris
- ToxicMan
- DH
- GGreatOne234
- LizardKing
- mjshroomer
- concretefeet
- Remy
- Mr. Mushrooms
- Anno
- Mitchnast
- doo
- cardboard
- Effed
- MagmaManiac
- koraks
- pluteus
- superblingtheory
- xmush
- georgeM
II. Accurate mushroom descriptions
It is critical that you describe mushrooms fully and accurately in order to get a proper identification.
A good picture of the mushrooms is invaluable, but not required.
Along with the pictures YOU ARE REQUIRED to provide the following data:
* Habitat (where [woods, pasture, state,province,country, altitude] and what [soil, dung, wood (dead, living, what kind of wood?)] does it grow on)
* Characteristics of the gills (color, attached/not, gills/pores, etc)
* Characteristics of the stem (length, diameter, color, texture, hollow/solid, thin/thick, etc)
* Characteristics of the cap (diameter,color, texture, conical/spherical, convex/concave, etc)
* Spore print color (very important!)
* Color that the mushroom bruises
* Scent of the mushroom
* Anything else you might find important
For more detailed guidelines for describing your finds, please view this document.
For an explanation of mycological terms please refer to this document .
III. Tips for those new to mushroom hunting
There are plenty of things that someone new to the hobby needs to know before even *considering* eating a mushroom. Here are some important tips for those new to the hobby:
- Do not eat any mushroom without identifying it first! You could die of mushroom poisoning or become so sick that you'd wish you were dead.
- Take a spore print by cutting the cap from the stem and placing a cap on a sheet of aluminum foil. The spores should drop in an hour or two. It is sometimes preferable to let the mushroom drop its spores for up to 12 hours to get a good deep print.
- If the mushrooms fruits in cold weather, you might have to let the spores drop in a cold area. The color of the spores is a great help in identifying the mushroom.
- When you are making a spore print it is better to wet the top of the mushroom slightly and/or wet a bowl and place it over the mushroom so the spores are not blown away. This is particularly help if the mushroom is dry or if you live in a dry area.
- If for some (stupid) reason you decide to eat an unidentified mushroom, be sure to save one of them so you can show the people at the emergency room what you ate in the event that you are poisoned. This way they will know which mushroom toxin to treat you for.
- When collecting mushrooms be sure to separate different species. There is no way we can identify a mixed pile of mushrooms.
- Giving us a description based on the outline from Section II in this thread is 100% necessary.
- If a mushroom has white or green gills (the underside of the mushroom) BEWARE! If they are white it may be deadly and if they are green it will make you very ill!
- Not all mushrooms that stain/bruise blue are hallucinogenic. There are quite a few poisonous mushrooms that bruise blue. Never use this sole feature to identify a mushroom.
- Please save the slang (shroomz, boomers, shroomies, mushies, etc.) for AOL. They're called mushrooms.
- Keep in mind that if you eat the wrong mushroom it is possible that you will die.
- If the mushroom is on or under a tree, what kind of tree - not the exact kind, but knowing it's an oak or a maple or a pine or a spruce is useful.
- When collecting, try to get both young and mature specimens, if possible for your photos.
- Areas near highways, landfills, and mine tailings are often contaminated with heavy metals or other toxins. Mushrooms often concentrate these toxins so that you can receive doses of lead or other unpleasant things you don't want in your body.
- If taking a picture of a spore print for an identification request, please do not take the print on foil. use white paper for colored prints and black paper for white/pale prints. A picture of a spore print on foil at many angles will make the color appear different.
IV. Helpful and important links
The Mushroom Hunting FAQ - by far the most important link you need for the hunting forum. Be sure to read the FAQ before you post
The Shroomery's Ultimate Field Guide - equally important as the FAQ. This field guide, made by mjshroomer, includes over 1500 photos. This resource is by far one of the best on the net when it comes to IDing active species.
High Quality Mushroom Photography: How to - this work in progress (still needs some pictures) tells you how to improve your mushroom photograph skills. Once this is done we'll give it a more "professional" look.
GGreatOne's Guide to Florida Mushroom Hunting - the name says it all
How to identify Psilocybe and Panaeolus species - another helpful resource for identification.
Mushroom John's Shroom World - mjshroomer's website. This has all kinds of good information on psilocybian mushrooms.
MushroomExpert.com - If you're not just here for the psilocybes, this site is invaluable to you. It has TONS of information on all kinds of mushrooms. Very nice resource for those who are also looking for edibles.
Mykoweb - A site with information on mushrooms found in Califorina. This is useful for all people really (not just those in CA), it has loads of information on various species found all over the US, not just in CA.
A guide to picking Panaeolus subbalteatus, by Gumby - includes lots of information on how to tell Panaeolus subbalteatus apart from Panaeolina foenisecii.
V. Credits/Thanks
The original 5 threads that this one was compiled from are as follows:
- NEW: THE SHROOMERY'S ULTIMATE FIELD GUIDE (1500 Photos)
- High Quality Mushroom Photography: How to
- Before you post an ID request, please read this!
- Newbies: How to identify a mushroom.(Edited)
- Mushroom Hunting Forum Rules **MUST READ**
Thanks to the people who helped with the FAQ and Hunting Forum:
- All Mushroom Hunting Forum moderators (GumbyDude, ToxicMan, concretefeet, Remy, angryshroom)
- Anno
- mjshroomer
- GGreatOne223
- LizardKing
- MrMushrooms
- Mitchnast
- Anyone else who worked on the FAQ that was not included on this list
- Any old mods that I might have missed.
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"War Doesn't Decide Who's Right... It Decides Who's Left."
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masslessparticle 
Kerbouchard
Edit 
Reply 
..... 
, that was the most unecessary and idiotic response i've ever heard in the shroomery
& 
can be found 
Anonymous
Zwieback0
Lizard King