Hunting Morel Mushrooms in Northern Michigan is a big deal. Drive around the countryside in the Spring and you’ll witness cars parked at weird places as the annual hunt for the illusive Morel Mushroom occurs.
Go to a local bar at that time of year and the stories you hear will rival stories from any fishing tournament on Earth. Everyone seems to brag about the place they know where the mushrooms are bigger than anywhere else. The trick in the storytelling seems to be the ability to brag convincingly without giving any specific information about the location. No one wants to risk giving unscrupulous mushroom hunters (which, by definition, means anyone else in the woods) access to their secret mushroom Garden of Eden… The Mother Lode, so to speak.
They go to great lengths to keep the spot secret… Even to the point of walking in the opposite direction if someone approaches their stash and wandering aimlessly as if there is nothing to be found. Wandering aimlessly seems to be the method of choice for mushroom hunters. I’m not sure if it’s strategy or if they simply have no clue where they’re going and don’t want to admit it.
There is a definite similarity between hunting mushrooms and fishing. As in fishing, size seems to matter more than quantity. Bragging rights go to the person with the largest Morels. But, as in fishing, there always seems to be a person in the group that will say they saw it first but claims someone else picked it before they could get there… the mushroom version of the “one that got away”.
I got the cartoon idea when I overheard someone talking about “hunting for Morals”. I’m sure they were talking about “Morels”, but I heard “Morals”. At the time, I was doing a series of cartoons about humorous Catholic issues and “Father Murphy” often was the lead character. Morels, Morals and Father Murphy seemed to be a natural combination.
I’m sure he would understand if the confession about the actual size of the mushroom didn’t include the location where it was found… That would be a sin for a mushroom hunter!