...or the colony could have not survived the year.

been doing more research on them since this post and I noticed this clipping...

"Also limiting spore dissemination is a failure of morels to come up every year in areas where spring weather can be dry. Growth is sustained under the ground from year to year in the form of sclerotia."

So don't dishearten, I might have been wrong after all, check back next year...

i have walked on this path for 5yrs and never saw morels before. i just glanced over last year and pow! look at all those morels. it is only about 5ft from the walking path so there is lots of traffic. i walk on the path everyday and have checked daily for 2 months and never saw a single mushroom. it is dryer than last year so maybe that is it.

One of the best times to locate them is during the first "warm" thaw of spring, generally when you've had two 80+ degree days in a row. Little before and after that seems to be the best time to go hunting...