so i was wondering if the hen of the woods mushroom be in the same areas year after year . i found my first one last year on a buddys deer lease , there where 4 on that hardwood ridge . should a guy keep going back to that spot

Yes they sure do, actually within a few inches a lot of the time. We're a good month and a half away
From hens here, I'm guessing the same with where you are.

usually ......yes.......but sometimes they don't.....the past 2 years none of my regular trees produced anything...had to find additional ones. usually mid October here in cent il when they are popping good

They return if conditions are favorable or until the hosts decomposition becomes unfavorable for the species your foraging.
Found my first Maryland chickens this week. Made some great dinners with spare ribs one night and clams the next. Was a fun week where I finally am starting to feel like it’s home here on the eastern shore!

thanks , they are new to me , but sure did enjoy eating them. also how do you cook them, i fried them like morels

I like eating mushrooms.

I found my first one this year, I'm hoping it keeps coming back. Super yummy.

Hen of the wood and chicken mushrooms are not the same thing. Really like the hens, but don't care for the chicken mushrooms(aka sulfur shelf)like those in the pics. One of my son's like the chickens better though.
I have never found a hen of the woods this early- I start looking about a month from now. Most folks around here call them sheepshead and you often find them on the same logs for a few years.

Thanks,grackle.

I cook the hen of the woods much longer than the morels. They are much tougher than morels so require more time in the pan.

Thought I'd add one more thing. My wife and I also can them with either beef broth or chicken broth and use them with roasts, hotdishes or added to gravy. Very good that way as well.

Ttt.

Prefer the chickens myself and they usually come back year after year in my experience. We deep fry them, saute them, have made them in quasidillas even. You can substitute them for chicken in any chicken recipe and they will be good.

I thinks chickens are better the day or so after sauté