You and I are gonna get along famously I predict!

So i know all about the potential COTW allergies - and in fact took great caution the one time I did ingest such a find for that reason from a tree in a state park. In general when I have ingested a new wild mushroom i try only a tiny amount, cooked and/or parboiled depending on the species, and then wait for 24hours to see what happens. I also keep the mushrom i ate around for upwards of a week refridgerated out of an excess of caution. (This is only when I am absolutely certain of an ID, through various sources - In the past the NYC mycological society members have been a great resource.)

Regarding the COTW allergy, I've heard some people say the effect may be related not only to individual reactions, but to type of tree the COTW was growing from. Specifically coniferous trees may be more lilely to cause upset.

My wife sometimes wants me to be a little more adventurous with my eating habits, seeing as there are a number of species I feel very confident about, but I've found the experience of even that first well prepared nibble bizarrely nerve wracking, and so I've just stopped altogether.

As for the legality of harvesting, I have heard tell that it may technically be a problem in a number of public places - and of course technically stealing if you take it without permission from private property. For my purposes it is usually not an issue, as I rarely take very much of any given mushroom, and I can say fairly certainly, nobody in the parks I visit rightly cares.

However, I will take your advice to heart should I be driven to harvest, say, that once in a lifetime perfect Lion's Mane or copse of fairy tale quality chanterelles in some state park someday.