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Avoiding Mistakes-Safe Hunting Guidelines
  1. DO NOT EAT ANYTHING YOU CANNOT POSITIVELY IDENTIFY.
  2. Be cautious with white-capped mushrooms or mushrooms with white gills; this eliminates many hard-to-identify species, including several deadly species.
  3. Do not eat wrinkled, brain-like, or saddle-shaped mushrooms.
  4. Beware of any mushroom with a ring on its stalk or any mushroom that grows out of a cup or has an enlarged base.
  5. Avoid LBM’s. Species of Little Brown Mushrooms can rarely be determined by non-professionals.
  6. Avoid Boletes which have red pore mouths or which bruise blue or taste bitter.
  7. Do not eat any puffball that is not pure white and uniform in texture inside.
  8. Keep each species that you collect in a separate container.
  9. Whenever you eat a new variety, keep a few specimens in the refrigerator. In case of poisoning these can be identified through a poison control center.
  10. When eating a variety for the first time, eat only a small amount in case of an allergic reaction.
  11. Be aware that some mushrooms cause reactions when consumed with alcohol.
  12. Be aware that certain edible mushrooms have non-edible lookalikes, i.e., mushrooms which are similar in appearance, but poisonous.
Mushroom Ethics

Dining Ethics
  • You must take responsibility for the wild mushrooms that you eat. Don’t blindly take someone else’s word on identification or edibility.
  • Never try to force wild mushrooms on anyone who is unwilling to eat them.
Picking Ethics
  • Do not intentionally trespass on someone else’s property.
  • Don’t destroy habitats.
  • Pick only what is necessary for your wants. If you do not want it, leave it intact so that someone else may admire or photograph it, or so that it may grow to produce more.
Identification Ethics
  • Be 100% sure of your identification before advising others or eating mushrooms yourself. If you are unsure and are making a guess, emphasize to the person that you really don’t know.
  • If you know someone who has unknowingly picked a poisonous mushroom, tell them.
If You Suspect a Poisoning
If you suspect you have consumed a poisonous mushroom, contact a physician, the closest hospital ER, poison control center, or dial 911, depending on the severity of the reaction.

US Poison Control: 1-800-222-1222
The North American Mycological Association (NAMA) has information that may also be of help. Click here.
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 We do not ID mushrooms through this website. 
If you are in need of an ID consider uploading quality photos with multiple views of your specimen and descriptions of your find to Mushroom Observer or iNaturalist including our projects or post in Wild Food Wisconsin or Mushroom Identification Group.

If you contact us and provide a way to get back to you, we may be able to provide suggestions for more identification resources you can use.
You are always responsible for your own decisions taken on the basis of identification resources.

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Wisconsin Mycological Society

Wisconsin Mycological Society (WMS) is dedicated to the study and enjoyment of mushrooms and other fungi throughout the state of Wisconsin. Education, safety, sustainability, community, and connecting with nature are our goals. 

We are affiliated with NAMA, a society that covers all of North America and includes many affiliate clubs. We also love to support regional  Wisconsin clubs and fungi related events. This includes the Madison Mycological Society and the Northwestern Wisconsin MycoEnthusiasts.

If you run or want to start a regional group, or one focused on a unique mycological topic, please do reach out to us.