Men say they picked ‘some’ mushrooms, then officer finds 179 pounds, WA officials say
Two men caught on private property told an officer they had foraged “some” mushrooms in Washington, officials said.
But Sgt. Brian Alexander found 179 pounds worth of chanterelle mushrooms in their possession, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police said in a Nov. 18 Facebook post.
Alexander had been patrolling for the deer season when he stopped the two Oct. 18 on a property in Grays Harbor County, wildlife officials told McClatchy News by email.
He asked them how they got onto the private land, and the men told him they followed someone in as the gate was opened, officials said.
They told the officer they had harvested “some” mushrooms, but that wasn’t the case, officials said.
Alexander discovered 179 pounds of illegally harvested mushrooms, officials said.
The pair was cited for trespassing and not having a forest products permit.
The chanterelle mushrooms were sold to a buyer, and the money is being held by the court, officials said.
If someone wants to harvest wild edible mushrooms, the picker needs a special license for anything over 5 gallons, officials said.
Additionally, permission is needed from a private land owner to possess any amount.
Chanterelle mushrooms can be golden yellow-orange in coloring with a wavy and trumpet-like cap. They also have a faint apricot smell.
This story was originally published November 22, 2024 at 5:07 PM with the headline "Men say they picked ‘some’ mushrooms, then officer finds 179 pounds, WA officials say."
