Mushroom Hunter

A Mushroom Hunter, despite what the job title sounds like, doesn’t don a hunting cap and sling a rifle over their shoulder in order to shoot down elusive fungi. That doesn’t mean, however, that when you take to the great outdoors to scour for mushrooms, there won’t be any adventure.

Mushrooms thrive in damp, shaded areas and are usually found in secluded portions of the woods. Half of your Mushroom Hunter journey involves finding the rare crops that produce a harvest worth collecting. The market for the best product is competitive, and in recent years, Mushroom Hunters have become bolder, scouring dangerous terrain alone at night, which can mean serious trouble in areas that are full of ravines and cliffs. In order to survive mushroom hunting season, you combine your competitive drive with good safety practices because as a Mushroom Hunter you understand when it comes to mushroom hunting, safety is a big must.

Porcinis and chanterelles are absolutely delicious, but there are varieties of mushrooms, such as the amanita, that are incredibly toxic and sometimes deadly. The only thing keeping you from picking a poisonous mushroom instead of a tasty one is the guidebook at your side combined with your keen eye for detail.

You can’t simply stuff your find inside a bag and carry on like it’s a fallen duck. Market vendors and restaurants will want to purchase your prize for top dollar. Once you, and hopefully a colleague as well, have made a positive identification, you collect your mushrooms carefully, making sure they don’t get damaged or bruised. After hours of treading through the damp woods, it would be a shame if you accidentally squished a whole crop beneath your boot.