WA Season

[occidentalis]

Thanks for the beautiful photos Fusion . Brings back memories.

Looks to me like you did fairly well. I wouldn't be complaining about that haul!

[focus]

I was down that way last weekend... Visited main Jays Rd spot early in the morning and didn't find anything.

However, further down Jays Rd (towards the town) I had some luck. On private property (invited)

I found 60 subs that had been there for a little while... These were growing under non-native shrubs in a garden-ish setting...

The cops were out at the pines around 1pm that day....

If you drive around Jays or Grimwade Rd and look out of place, the chances of getting hassled by cops is pretty high. If you know what you are doing, and are prepared to walk around, perhaps trekking on the Bibbulman Track and surrounds you will have a better chance....

Above all else, treat the area with respect! Balingup is an amazing place, and recently a more liberal youngerish crew have started to move in and started businesses etc. If people are a little more respectful the locals might be less inclined to ring the police with number plates and complaints, and the heat just might back off a little....

I think it's the Bunbury posse that cause all the problems anyway!

[The Poet]

hey all,

only my third post, but perhaps the freshest news from the south west front. and when i say fresh, unfortunately, it is not a subtle or cheeky reference to the freshness of a fantastic fungi find, it's "fresh" because i was in the bal area on the weekend.

tho this is only post three for me, ive been to this sight plenty o times and read yr posts and viewed yr pictures and quietly watched conversations. i can maintain silence no longer!

ive been following this wa thread, tho i didnt read it at all before heading south this weekend.

and, i'm nowhere near the upper echelons of shroomness, not having what i could really call my own patch nor knowing too many places one might go to look. tho i have found them in a place or two.

i took a pretty blatant stroll at the every-man-and-his-dog-knows-about it patch on midmorning saturday.

i'd been in the pines no more than five minutes before the sound of a car was heard, then seen, a police ute driving through mud puddles. two cops dressed in their bush blues overalls and their notepads, even guns in their holsters. either they were doing a routine drive around or had spotted me from afar from some vantage point and come to greet me. name taken and advice for me not to pick any mushrooms.

i wanted to ask them questions; what were they doing? why were they doing it? had they not better things to do? - like busting litterers, or violent crime, or the methdealers next door to me, or the kids i caught climbing over my backfence when i got back from down south who had shat in my backyard (seriously)

it was rather frustrating to meet the police, particularly as this was only my second walk in this zone in as many years. i'm only greatful they met me before i'd picked up any friends. anyway, i conducted the experiment and found out for myself, yes, the cops are there. i mighta gone back later that nite but it was too bloody cold and i wasnt dedicated enough and had been put off by the cops (which is what they wanted). but it's so silly. i wont bother ranting bout it too much, this post is already excessively long.

i have thought bout writing a letter. i also thought about writng a letter to the west's cocaine story a few weeks ago. i'm glad that creach did and i'm sorry i missed it. i dont buy that paper and i didnt check the one at work religiously enuff to see if anyone wrote in about snow town in boomsville. i thought the article was cheesey but great, like a tourist guide about where to go to get coke or something, and even letting me know how much money i'd have to save up for a nite at snowtown.

but about the shrooms - youse all think i'm a twit for goin to the evryone knows patch in broad daylight, and yr right, but i didnt have the time for drivin and seekin out others. and i lack dedication for not checkin in the freezin cold of nite when we hope the cops are tucked in bed like normal people, but that's just the way it was. it was kinda torturous for a long-time-not-very-successful mushroom seeker to think that that forest was chockers with those nipples of goodness, and that i couldnt look for them.

i am now contemplating tryna grow them at home (which i never wanted to do and think defeats the magic and purpose of shroom hunting, yielding a different kinda fruit). but to do that, i gotta do a whole lot more reading and internet searching and i still aint got broadband and everything's slow!!!!!!!!!!!

so, that's some of it. my obsession continues to mock me, i needs be more cautious and professional about this, if i am not already beyond redemption.

fusion, thanks for your delightful photoessay of your recent trip. it shows that you know both your technology and your organic goodness. now, this could just be sour grapes from a rank amateur (even after 10 odd years), but isnt that a heck of a lot of shrooms you took home? tho, i spose if i asked myself the question, i'd probably take home everything i found (which has never been more than 14 (you all laugh). or would i leave one or two at each spot? (and how do i know if you did or you didnt?)

ps i'm thinking of changing my forum name from "the Poet" to "rank amateur"

[sunny]

Thanks for the post poet, I was actually down there just before dusk on Friday night but didnt see any cops. Got a decent amount but was actually going to go back on the saturday but now im glad that i didnt! Better luck next time, keep trying!

[The Poet]

sunny,

well done. i was too casual. the lesson from my experience was that you cant be too casual, not when us city folk dont always get down that way. and what, with the cost of fuel and all, might as well make it worth yr while.

stealth is key (plus knowledge of diverse patches!)

creach, if yr readin, any chance you could share with us yr letter to the West australian RE: their front page of a month or so ago: "cocaine rains down on yuppy boomsville?"

did you say you wrote a letter re: shroomers as well?

may the fungus be with you

[occidentalis]

creach, if yr readin, any chance you could share with us yr letter to the West australian RE: their front page of a month or so ago: "cocaine rains down on yuppy boomsville?"

did you say you wrote a letter re: shroomers as well?

may the fungus be with you

Hey Poet

Thanks for your report, very good reading . It's always nice to go for a walk on a misty day in the pines, even if one does not return with the goods.

<thread derailment>

I think I kept a copy of the letter to the West, I'll see if I can find it...haha, amongst the collected debris of the sharehouse, the letter hides ;).

I Disagree (their title, not mine)

Rich people use drugs? Impossible. Guess what? Rich people use drugs, poor people use drugs - in fact, nearly everyone uses some kind of drugs recreationally, whether they are purchased from a bottleshop, supermarket, or a cocaine dealer.

Your report on cocaine use neglects to mention the fact that out of all the drugs used in these upmarket establishments, the ones with the worst overall health impacts would be cigarettes and alcohol - and you don't need to hide in the toilets to use them.

Perhaps it's time we developed a sensible and mature policy approach to the potential problems of drug use and abuse, rather than adopting the kind of moral panic displayed in The West Australian.

</thread derailment>

There ya go... lately I have written a couple of letters to newspapers (Poet you may have seen my comment on shared bike/bus lanes in the Herald recently - yep, I've got an opinion on everything ;)), and they have both been published. The key is to keep the message clear and the style short and snappy.

I haven't written one regarding mushrooms because my name is already publically associated with them and I thought I should keep a low profile on that topic, however I encourage any one else out there to write away. Pretty much every year the West publishes a bunch of complete shit on the number of people being busted in balingup and the terrible risks faced by these young hooligans as they gorge themselves on poisonous fungi. I try not to read the paper so I usually miss it, but if you see anything worth correcting them on, make sure you take it up. There is an easy online letter writing form on the The West's website.

[Hyphal]

fusion, thanks for your delightful photoessay of your recent trip. it shows that you know both your technology and your organic goodness.

Thanks heaps man!

now, this could just be sour grapes from a rank amateur (even after 10 odd years), but isnt that a heck of a lot of shrooms you took home? tho, i spose if i asked myself the question, i'd probably take home everything i found (which has never been more than 14 (you all laugh). or would i leave one or two at each spot? (and how do i know if you did or you didnt?)

Well, the place I search is large enough that there would be no way to get them all anyway, so we are bound to leave a few.

It has never seemed to matter anyway, as everytime I go there, without fail, the exact same small areas are fruiting - a particular log for example will have shrooms under it year after year. Im sure the mycelium in those areas must survive the summer.

Went for a another mission last week - despite the recent rains, everything was still pretty dry, but it was looking a bit more promising.

Another beautiful morning -

Although we weren't alone this time -

There was a lot more moisture around after the recent rains, although still brown and un-naturally warm -

There were some huge non-actives -

And the actives -

The final result -

All in all, an epic day, beautiful weather and worth calling in sick for

Edited July 31, 2006 by FusioN

[_e_]

fusion

theres some nice pics and finds there, but in future perhaps you could try to be a little less intrusive on the substrate and mycelial networks when picking... even if it does make for a good shot, its best to snap the stem at the base and avoid disturbing the fun guys doing what they do best....

[Hyphal]

Point taken, but it seems that you are assuming that I am careless.

I havent found that in 7 years of visiting the same spot, that my method (I have a pair of scissors with me at all times, cutting the bottom off of each individual one and burying in back in under the debri) has had any detrimental impact on the area whatsoever.

Especially when you compare that with the logging machinery that has come through and torn the whole area to shreds, and the now recent burning off of all leftover wood from the loggers harvest, which has scorched most of the rest of the patch.

[betts]

i went down last week slept the night and got up around 5am to go searching for the good stuff. went to jayes road and found probably 20-30 subs. searched until around 3pm and only found those 20-30:( its so hard to find large amounts of subs down there anymore. i think it is something to do with the new groups of people who are going down and picking intstead of snipping the shrooms and trashing the place. its just such a shame that people dont respect the area and its importance to other people besides themselves...sigh lol. owell...20 subs is the biggest find ive had there so i cant complain too much!!!!

[occidentalis]

its so hard to find large amounts of subs down there anymore. i think it is something to do with the new groups of people who are going down and picking intstead of snipping the shrooms and trashing the place.

I think it has a lot more to do with lack of rainfall, although being the end of the season the flushes are probably getting pretty slim.

I doubt 'picking rather than snipping' has a significant effect on productivity.

[Hyphal]

There has been a good dump of rain lately, so Im sure there would be a great flush around down there right now - probably one of the last flushes of the season.... Check out the rainfall for the past few days -

http://www.bom.gov.au/fwo/IDW60224.pdf

And I agree whole heartedly, that picking or snipping has little to no effect on the amount of mushrooms in the area - it really depends on moisture, and even more so, where you are looking.... ;)

If you walk around the same patch of grass that ten other people have just walked over, you dont have any hope.

[betts]

I went down just after the large spell of wetness we had the other week that lasted about 4 or 5 days. usually i just search around the areas close to the tracks, but this time i went really far in and around to areas that looked like they hadnt been touched in a long time, but it was so hard to find them:( im relatively new at this but my friend who has been into it for years went with me and we searched for ages and found hardly anything. im thinking of exploring other areas around balingup to see if there are other patches that are not so well known about...

[Manisobsolete]

well well well, 2008. seems like its time to revive this one so everyone can share the love

[Hyphal]

What a coincidence..........!

[gilligan]

Would think this long weekend will be a big one.. for pickers and pol. Rain yday woulda been good timing for weekend, but think pol will be out in force in Bal. Extra pol out for the weekend anyway, holidaymakers and double demerits. Searches in the area will be common i'd think...

oh well.

[guitar_man117]

Hey Hyphal you brewing your own beer with those coopers hombrew bottles of just jusing them in your photos? ;)

Edited May 29, 2008 by guitar_man117

[Hyphal]

Hey Hyphal you brewing your own beer with those coopers hombrew bottles of just jusing them in your photos? ;)

Was doing some ginger beer for a while last year, but haven't done any for ages, ITs actually good shit, should get back on to it. Oh for a world were we didnt have responsibilites and could just play with things at home all day. I think I'd start making jams and preserves and having tea and scones with my friends if I could. And Im deadly serious.

[Hyphal]

Would think this long weekend will be a big one.. for pickers and pol. Rain yday woulda been good timing for weekend, but think pol will be out in force in Bal. Extra pol out for the weekend anyway, holidaymakers and double demerits. Searches in the area will be common i'd think...

oh well.

Just gotta beat them to it....

This was from yesterday -

[gilligan]

JEEBUS!

good effort interesting times ahead.

Edited May 29, 2008 by gilligan

[ydarb]

good haul dude, im going down for the long weekend and have no idea what im doing. jayes road seems the place to start. ill let you know how i go.

[Hyphal]

good haul dude, im going down for the long weekend and have no idea what im doing. jayes road seems the place to start. ill let you know how i go.

Theres a good chance you will get pulled up and your car searched. And if you don't know what you are looking for, well, just DONT EAT ANYTHING YOU FIND without posting good quality pics here first and getting an ID. \

Also, do a search on Gallerina - if you eat them they will kill you - and they look very similar to the ones you want from above.

Look at the photos in this thread for pictures of gallerina - http://www.shaman-australis.com/forum/inde...showtopic=17893

[Manisobsolete]

nice one mate good to know things are coming along.. went down a couple of weeks ago.. no love.. the 5 days of rain we had just recently should help lots those

[ydarb]

thanks for the advice mate. It turns out i was very successful/lucky, i coudnt beleive it. I collected some 140 shrooms off jayes road in about an hour and then left. I didnt see any cops either.

Yea ive got some photos to post later, but the shrooms all turned blue which as i understand means they arent likely to be galerina. and when i ate them (first time) they were definately subs as i couldnt stop laughing and tripping.

im scared to go down now and push my luck as the cops might catch me. but i think ill go down again soon.

[poo]

but the shrooms all turned blue which as i understand means they arent likely to be galerina. and when i ate them (first time) they were definately subs as i couldnt stop laughing and tripping.

Are you serious?

"aren't likely to be..." and then you fucking ate them?!!!

Educate yourself. Properly.