Mushroom hunters...a Question on ID this!

[NanaKat]

While hunting morels this morning we found these reddish brown mushrooms growing in the ground near the base of a dead tree in a wooded area..
We live in central Oklahoma and had a recent rain with temps in the 60 - 75 range this week so mushrooms are beginning to pop up.
We have never seen anything like this one before so put it in a separate bag to try to identify.



The morels are 2.5 inches but this monster is the size of a softball, firm and seems solid. Any ideas on what it is?

 

[SonRise Silkies]

Yikes!!!!! Be careful it might eat YOU!

 

[Riverbear]

Absolutely do NOT eat that, it is a type of false morel that contains a chemical compound that will build up in your system and kill you, some folks can eat them for years and then kick the bucket after one bite, others can't even eat one. Around here they are called beefsteak mushrooms or brain shrooms (Michigan)

 

[SonRise Silkies]

Wild Mushrooms

• Many mushrooms are extremely poisonous. While not every mushroom is dangerously poisonous, most simply aren't large or tasty enough to be eaten. WILD MUSHROOMS SHOULD NOT BE EATEN UNLESS IDENTIFIED BY AN EXPERT, AND EVEN THE EXPERTS MAKE MISTAKES SOMETIMES because many safe mushrooms closely resemble poisonous ones.
• A simple identification error can lead to symptoms of sweating, cramps, diarrhea, confusion, convulsions and potentially result in liver damage with a mortality rate of 60 percent or higher.
• There are over 38,000 varieties of mushrooms available, over 3,000 in North America alone, with varying colors, textures and flavors. There are so many varieties of mushrooms, both edible and toxic, that mass consumption is pretty much limited to those commercially-grown varieties which can be trusted to be edible.

DO NOT EAT!

 

[NanaKat]

Thank you! That is what I needed to know. Definitely destroying it.
We will also go back where we found it and destroy the remaining root system.

 

[Riverbear]

Don't know about destroying the root system...unless you are worried about kids getting into it, still serves a natural function. BTW you will encounter people who swear they are edible, but all Mycologists agree that they absolutely should not be eaten. Nice morels though! I am envious!

 

[NanaKat]

My son in law takes my grandson to hunt morels and I don't want the 5 year old to even touch it.
A friend sent me a link to the Great Morel's website with info on the beefsteak mushroom/false morel. It is really a dangerous mushroom and not recommended even with the cooking strategy.....not advisable at all!

Yes we are getting some beautiful safe morels. We either panco batter fry them or sauté in butter or make a mushroom soup with them.

 

[SonRise Silkies]

Oh, you are making me drool

I haven't found anything that even resembles a mushroom around this place...
And I do agree with destroying the bed of the bad plants. God put them there for some reason but i't wasn't for us to eat....and you might save someone else some heartache if you just remove them....not from the whole PLANET just from your hunting grounds. Thats about the best you can do, and pray that others who find some will do some research before taking that first bite!
Thanks for the education, if you hadn't shown them, I at least , would never have known what they are.
Jealous of you!!!!