I cannot be sure just from the one photo, but the ones you mention as possibly oyster mushrooms may in fact be what we call Angel Wing (Pleurocybella porrigens). I find them here in the Great Smoky Mountains as well, I believe they are very common throughout the northern hemisphere. They can easily be mistaken for oysters. They are usually in groups like that, a bit small for oysters, and theres no stem whatsoever on them. They are not recommended for eating.
I am no expert, but that's my observation of that photo and my experience combined.
Good job not harvesting, there's always time for identification and research and returning another day.
Happy hunting!
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I have found angel wings before these guys were much too small for angel wings, they are most likely Crepidotus mollis I would say their diameter was that of about a nickel very tiny. From what I understand about angel wings their toxicity depends on which tree they are growing on, but yeah if you don't know the tree species it would be best to avoid angel wings.
I think they are Crepidotus, too, based on how the gills all radiate out from the central point where the mushroom attached to the wood. They will have brown spores, unlike the Oysters or Angel Wings. It's hard to say what species these are without seeing the tops or other details. They typically grow on wood that has decayed more than Oysters and Angel Wings, especially where the branch or log has lost its bark. That's a pretty view of your Crepidotus!
Yeah the log was super rotted, Here's a picture of the tops of them.
Yes, many of those tops show brown spores that drifted down from the ones higher up. So that does suggest Crepidotus. But there are so many kinds that take microscopes to sort out. Some are distinctive, but plain white ones are more than I can sort out. That's the breaks with mushrooms, lol.