Foraging & Collecting

Quick reference

The whole hub on one page. Start with the two questions and the grid, then scan the cheat sheet for the one-line rule on whatever you're after. When two rules disagree, the stricter one wins — and the moment you're unsure about a wild food, stop and get a positive identification first.

Question one: whose land?

Where can you take it? Land by land

The land you're standing on decides almost everything. Find it in the left column, then read across to what you want to take. When two rules disagree, the stricter one wins — and on public land, you leave the artifacts.

Whose land	Wild food	Digging / whole plants / roots	Rocks & fossils	Artifacts	Metal detecting
Private land	Yes, with the owner's permission.	Yes, with permission (including ginseng in season).	Yes, with permission (including pay-to-dig sites).	Surface collecting only, with written permission — don't dig.	Yes, with permission.
MDC conservation area	Nuts, berries, fruit, edible greens & mushrooms for personal use.	No digging; no whole plants or roots (that needs a plant-collecting letter). No ginseng, ever.	No — rocks, minerals, and fossils stay.	No — leave them.	No — no ground disturbance.
Missouri Natural Area	Nuts, berries, fruit & mushrooms for personal use — but NO edible greens.	No.	No.	No.	No (and no rock climbing).
State park / historic site (DNR)	Look, don't take — no plants or mushrooms without written permission.	No.	No — rocks, fossils, even downed wood stay.	No.	Designated swim beaches only, at listed parks, with free registration and tool-size limits.
Mark Twain National Forest	Personal-use fruit, nuts, berries & mushrooms — no permit. Commercial collection is prohibited.	No threatened/endangered species. (Personal-use firewood has its own permit.)	Surface only, reasonable personal amount — no motorized gear or sluice boxes; not in wilderness, caves, or historical/archaeological areas.	No — protected (36 CFR 261.9). Find one? Stop and tell the Forest Service.	Developed rec areas unless posted; surface only, no new ground disturbance; never keep an artifact.
Ozark Riverways & other NPS land	Only the specific edible fruits, nuts, berries & mushrooms the superintendent's compendium lists, in listed amounts — check it first.	No roots or whole plants.	No.	No — strictly protected by federal law.	No.
Corps of Engineers lake	Varies by project — check the project office.	Check the project office.	No.	Illegal.	Only in designated beaches or approved/disturbed areas — call the project office first. Never keep an artifact.

Stricter MDC spots: listed nature and education centers prohibit collecting entirely; Burr Oak Woods and Rockwoods Reservation allow mushrooms only.
On a Missouri Natural Area, edible greens are off-limits even though nuts, berries, fruit, and mushrooms may be taken for personal use unless the area says otherwise.
Gold panning on the national forest is gold-pans-and-gardening-trowels only, in active stream channels or unvegetated gravel bars — no dredges or sluice boxes.

Question two: what are you taking?

What are you taking?

The thing in your hand matters as much as the ground under your feet. Here's the safest rule for each:

What you're taking	The safest rule
Mushrooms	Personal use, where it's allowed — but only after a positive ID. Never eat an unknown mushroom.
Berries, nuts & fruit	The safest public-land category — personal use on MDC areas, Natural Areas, and the national forest.
Edible greens	Many MDC conservation areas — but NOT Missouri Natural Areas. Take leaves, never roots.
Roots, bulbs & whole plants	Usually NO on public land (it needs special authorization).
Wild ginseng	Private land only, in season, with a permit — never on MDC land.
Loose shed antlers	Usually fine where the rules allow it (not state parks or NPS land).
A skull with antlers attached	Stop — contact MDC before taking it.
An arrowhead or artifact	Private-land surface collecting with permission only. On public land, leave it.
Human remains, a grave, or a mound	Stop. Don't touch. Leave and report — disturbing a burial is a felony.
Rocks & fossils	Private or pay-to-dig land, or the national forest (surface only). Not on parks, conservation areas, Natural Areas, Corps lakes, or NPS land.
Metal-detecting finds	Private land or designated state-park beaches. Never keep an artifact.

Cheat sheet

One line per question

The short version of every page in this hub. Each card is the safest rule — when in doubt, read across the grid above, ask the land manager, and never eat a wild plant or mushroom you can't name with certainty.

Question one — whose land?

Whose land are you on? Private land, an MDC conservation area, a state park, a Missouri Natural Area, the national forest, a Corps lake, or national park land — each one has very different rules.
Question two — what are you taking?

What are you taking? Something you pick and eat is one thing; digging a root, taking a whole plant, pocketing a rock, or keeping a relic is another thing entirely.
The rule of thumb

If you can pick it and eat it, it may be allowed for personal use on land where foraging is allowed. If you have to dig it, cut down the whole plant, pocket a rock, or keep a relic, stop and check first. On public land, leave the artifacts.
Mushrooms

Personal use, where it's allowed — but only after a positive ID. Never eat an unknown mushroom.
Berries, nuts & fruit

The safest public-land category — personal use on MDC areas, Natural Areas, and the national forest.
Edible greens

Many MDC conservation areas — but NOT Missouri Natural Areas. Take leaves, never roots.
Wild ginseng

Private land only, in season, with a permit — never on MDC land.
Ginseng season & replanting

Harvest season is Sept. 1 – Dec. 31. Plant the seeds: squeeze them from the red fruits and plant them within 100 feet of the parent plant, about 6 inches apart and ½ inch deep, under leaf litter.
Loose shed antlers

Usually fine where the rules allow it (not state parks or NPS land).
A skull with antlers attached

Stop — contact MDC before taking it.
Arrowheads & artifacts

Private-land surface collecting with permission only. On public land, leave it.
Graves & mounds

Stop. Don't touch. Leave and report — disturbing a burial is a felony.
River sandbars

River sandbars are a legal gray area, not a loophole. There is no 'high-water mark' permission rule. Ownership, navigability, public-land status, shipwreck law, federal rules, and burial law can all come into play. The safe move: photograph it, leave it in place, and ask the land manager, DNR/SHPO, or MDC before you take anything.
Rocks & fossils

Private or pay-to-dig land, or the national forest (surface only). Not on parks, conservation areas, Natural Areas, Corps lakes, or NPS land.
Metal detecting

Private land or designated state-park beaches. Never keep an artifact.
Before anything goes in your mouth

100% identification before anything goes in your mouth.

If something goes wrong

Get a positive identification before you eat any wild plant or mushroom. If someone may have eaten something toxic, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 or 911.

Before you gather

Missouri Porch explains; the landowner and the land manager decide.

Last checked: 2026-06-18. Rules differ by land type and change over time — and eating a wild plant or mushroom is a health decision, not a website decision. When in doubt, ask the land manager, check a field guide, and don't eat anything you can't name with certainty.

This is a plain-English summary, not legal advice. Foraging and collecting rules change and depend on whose land you're on and what you're taking — always confirm with the landowner or land manager before you gather. For a suspected poisoning, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 or 911.

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