One secret is that the more you do it, the more you see mushrooms everywhere. You develop an aptitude for noticing fungus absolutely everywhere, and you'll wonder how you ever missed it.
Another is that you need to get a feel for the conditions your local edible species like. Mushrooms will appear most of the year where I live, but the worthwhile hunting times fall into fairly narrow bands in spring and fall, though prolonged rains and cooler weather in summer will rapidly generate huge stands of some species too. You kind of get a feel for it over time.
Finally, you need a good guide, ideally human at first and then a credible book that's ideally specific to your region to some degree. North America is a huge area to make a book for! They exist, though. British Columbia helpfully narrows it down. Sometimes you'll find books specific to regions within your state, and that's the best in my experience. Look for a local mycology club and they'll have the best literature and guides on lock. They'll also probably welcome you out for some group hunting and guiding. These people are almost always extremely helpful, friendly, knowledgeable, and excited to have new members.
Like with fishing, making it about getting outside and enjoying nature rather than requiring each outing to be a huge success helps. Over time you'll get a feel for things, find reliable stands of species you love, and get better at spotting what you're looking for.
One secret is that the more you do it, the more you see mushrooms everywhere. You develop an aptitude for noticing fungus absolutely everywhere, and you'll wonder how you ever missed it.
Another is that you need to get a feel for the conditions your local edible species like. Mushrooms will appear most of the year where I live, but the worthwhile hunting times fall into fairly narrow bands in spring and fall, though prolonged rains and cooler weather in summer will rapidly generate huge stands of some species too. You kind of get a feel for it over time.
Finally, you need a good guide, ideally human at first and then a credible book that's ideally specific to your region to some degree. North America is a huge area to make a book for! They exist, though. British Columbia helpfully narrows it down. Sometimes you'll find books specific to regions within your state, and that's the best in my experience. Look for a local mycology club and they'll have the best literature and guides on lock. They'll also probably welcome you out for some group hunting and guiding. These people are almost always extremely helpful, friendly, knowledgeable, and excited to have new members.
Like with fishing, making it about getting outside and enjoying nature rather than requiring each outing to be a huge success helps. Over time you'll get a feel for things, find reliable stands of species you love, and get better at spotting what you're looking for.