I make a stockpile at the edge of the woods for the squirrels. They will be gone by next spring. There is a place that will buy them - by the ton. The squirrels around here have been busy pruning the oaks. They drop leaf clusters with acorns. They also still raid the bird feeders daily. Perhaps they don't worry about stashing walnuts, since I do that for them
I don't think hulling them is necessary, I have volunteer black walnut trees everywhere from birds and squirrels dragging the nuts everywhere and just under the tree where they get pushed into the dirt...
I helped my dad and granddad plant walnuts about 55 years ago - left them in the husks.
The only reason I wanted to husk them is to do the float test. Apparently unviable nuts float while viable ones sink.
I had lunch today with a guy in his late 70's and mentioned that I was going to order about 300 oak and pecan seedlings from the forestry department for Spring delivery. When I told him I wouldn't be using all of them but the minimum purchase was in bundles of 100 he said he'd take what I don't use. He knows he may not be around long enough to see them producing nuts but has a responsibility to future generations. He's got over 2000 walnuts on his property that he planted 30 or 40 years. ago.
