Where? Ok, I'm going to break this down in the simplest way possible...
Oak = Good.
Most Maple = Not good..
Conifer's only = Not good for most mushrooms.
Conifer's only = Not good for most mushrooms.
A hardwood forest with a lot of oaks is a mushroomers delight.
When? June through October are the best months here in upstate New York. Wait for a good rain and head out. Yes yes, I know that morels are found in late April and May but my experience hunting morels is a lot of looking and not much finding.
What? Here's a list of good 'starter' mushrooms, ie. those that are easy to id and tasty: morels, chanterelles, maitake or hen of the woods, chicken of the wood, black trumpets, lions mane or bearded tooth, shaggy mane, and giant puffballs.
How? I often spend as much time looking up as I do looking down. Why? Because I'm trying to locate oaks so I look up in the trees for their distinctive leaves. Someday I'll be enough of a woodsmen to identify oak by their trunks but right now...not so much. Once I spot the oak I go to it and scan the ground around it. btw...This is an excellent way to get lost in the woods as one oak leads to another and another until pretty soon you've lost all sense of direction and have no idea where you are. I've used the compass app on my iphone more then once to find my way back.
When you do find an edible and decide to collect it don't pull it, you don't want to disturb the roots (mycelium) if you can help it. Use a knife and cut it at its base. I've been using scissors on black trumpets and a few others and it works great.
Why? Well basically I feel like mushrooming is either in your blood or not. But look at it this way: The worst thing that can happen is that you'll have a lovely walk in the woods.
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