Built for Morel Hunters, by Morel Hunters
A free progressive web app that combines real weather data, field-tested habitat knowledge, and strict location privacy — so you can spend less time wondering and more time in the woods.
What the App Does
Everything in one place — without requiring an account to get started.
📊 Daily Readiness Score
A 0–100 index built from actual weather data for your exact location — soil temperature trends, overnight lows, recent rainfall, and warming patterns. Not a generic "morel season has started" notice.
🗺️ Community Find Map
See where hunters across the Midwest are reporting finds right now. Coordinates are automatically fuzzed by ~3 miles before display — so community data is useful without exposing anyone's exact spots.
🍄 Species ID Guide
Detailed profiles for yellow morels, black morels, half-free morels, and false morels — with the critical hollow-stem test every hunter needs to know. Includes safety disclaimers throughout.
🌳 Habitat & Tree Guide
Which trees signal prime morel ground, indicator plants, terrain features, slope aspects, and soil conditions — organized for both beginners and experienced hunters.
📍 Private Spot Log
Save GPS pins for your best ground. Every pin is stored only on your device — nothing is uploaded to our servers. Your honey holes stay yours.
📓 Hunt Journal
Log each outing with date, location, find quantity, habitat notes, and photos. Track patterns across your season and years. Stored locally on your device.
🤖 AI Photo ID
Snap a photo of a mushroom or tree for instant AI-powered identification. Always accompanied by a reminder that no app can guarantee safe edibility — expert confirmation is always recommended.
🏆 2027 Morel Challenge
A season-long point competition: earn points for logging hunts, completing weekly challenges, and identifying habitats. Leaderboard shows display names only — no coordinates ever appear.
Free vs. Pro
The core app is fully free. Pro adds intelligence layers for serious hunters.
| Feature | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Daily readiness score | ✅ | ✅ |
| Community map | ✅ | ✅ |
| Species ID guide | ✅ | ✅ |
| Habitat & tree guide | ✅ | ✅ |
| Private spot log (device only) | ✅ | ✅ |
| Hunt journal | ✅ | ✅ |
| AI photo identification | ✅ | ✅ |
| Morel Challenge participation | ✅ | ✅ |
| 7-day season outlook | ✅ | ✅ |
| AI Hunt Advisor | ❌ | ✅ |
| Personal Season Intelligence | ❌ | ✅ |
| Multi-Spot Ranked Dashboard | ❌ | ✅ |
| Species Timing Forecast | ❌ | ✅ |
| Predictive Push Alerts | ❌ | ✅ |
| Cloud Backup & Multi-Device Sync | ❌ | ✅ |
| Historical Pattern Match | ❌ | ✅ |
Privacy Architecture
Location privacy is a core design principle, not an afterthought.
Community Map Privacy
When you submit a community find report, the exact coordinates you provide are automatically fuzzed by approximately 3 miles before being shown to any other user. You see a green dot on the map — not your actual pin.
No Account Required
The core forecast, species guide, habitat guide, and photo ID work without creating an account. An account is only needed for cloud backup (Pro), the Morel Challenge, or community reports.
Morel Challenge Privacy
Challenge hunt logs record only your state and county — never latitude or longitude. You control whether your state is visible on the leaderboard. You can opt out at any time without losing your personal point history.
Photo Safety
The AI identification feature does not upload photos to a permanent server. Photo analysis is performed without storing location metadata. If you share a find, only the information you explicitly choose to share is included.
How to Install
No app store required. Midwest Morel Forecast is a Progressive Web App (PWA) that installs directly from your browser.
📱 iPhone / iPad
- Open midwestmorelforecast.com in Safari
- Tap the Share button (square with arrow)
- Scroll down and tap "Add to Home Screen"
- Tap Add
🤖 Android / Chrome
- Open midwestmorelforecast.com in Chrome
- Tap the three-dot menu (top right)
- Tap "Install app" or "Add to Home Screen"
- Tap Install
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Midwest Morel Forecast free?
Yes. The core forecast, species guide, habitat guide, community map, private spot log, and hunt journal are completely free. A Pro subscription adds the AI Hunt Advisor, personal season intelligence, multi-spot rankings, species timing forecast, predictive alerts, cloud backup, and historical pattern match.
Does the app share my mushroom spots or exact location?
No. Your GPS pins and hunt journal entries are stored only on your device — never uploaded to our servers. Community reports are shared only when you choose to submit them, and the exact coordinates are automatically fuzzed by approximately 3 miles before being shown to any other user.
What states does the forecast cover?
The weather-based forecast score works for any location in the contiguous United States. State-specific guides with detailed season timing, habitat notes, and local FAQs are available for Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
How is this different from other morel apps?
Three meaningful differences: (1) The forecast score is built from real weather station data for your specific location — not a generic "it's morel season" calendar. (2) Private spot logging stores data on your device only, never on a server. (3) The community map automatically fuzzes coordinates so useful regional trends are visible without exposing anyone's exact location. Most apps either skip the forecast entirely, ask you to share exact coordinates publicly, or both.
How accurate is the AI photo identification?
The AI photo identification provides a best estimate based on visual features. It can help you understand what you might be looking at, but it cannot guarantee safe identification of any mushroom. Never eat any wild mushroom based solely on an app prediction or photo. Always apply the hollow-stem test, consult field guides, and when uncertain, consult a local mycological society before consuming any wild mushroom.
Open the App — Free, No Account Needed
Check today's morel readiness score for your location. No signup required to use the forecast.