Mushroom hunting is not for the novice. My father-in-law was a professor at the University of Florida for 42 years and he specialized in mushrooms and fungi. He was often awakened in the night to identify a mushroom someone had eaten and ended up in the ER. There are a variety of edible mushrooms in MO but some have other mushrooms that look similar and can be poisonous. My best advice is to find a friend that hunts mushrooms and learn from them. Caution should be exercised when eating any mushroom. What's perfectly fine for me to eat may make you sick. People have different tolerances to different mushrooms. The best fall mushrooms are Chanterelles. We have an excellent book you can purchase that can help you get started. You can pick it up at most MDC offices or order online at: Books :: Books :: MISSOURI'S WILD MUSHROOMS. You can also get information from the Missouri Mycological Society's web page: Missouri Mycological Society - Site. In Missouri the most popular mushroom is the morel. They show up in the spring right around the time crappie go to the banks. In north Missouri this usually coincides with turkey season too. A great day outdoors in north Missouri in the spring involves a turkey hunt in the morning, followed my some morel hunting and then a trip to the lake to catch a limit of crappie. Good luck and be careful what you eat!