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Where to Find Giant Hickory Nuts (IL)

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From: Claude Gunter City: Elkhart, IN
Where in Southern Illinois might I find very large hickory nuts. I am not talking about big nuts, but nuts that are as big as a golf ball when out of the husk and still in the shell? I remember such nuts gathered by my father and uncle (identical twins) at an undisclosed location in the hardwood bottoms of Big Muddy River, which is now under Rend Lake. Know anywhere else such nuts can be found?
	Extension Message From: Jay Hayek Extension Specialist, Forestry Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences jhayek@illinois.edu
I asume you're talking about shellbark hickory (Carya laciniosa). This tree can be found along the Wabash and Kaskaskia Rivers, among other locations in southern Illinois. Try contacting a local IDNR district forester to determine if they know of any shellbark hickory groves accessible to the general public! IDNR District Forester Map: http://dnr.state.il.us/conservation/forestry/Documents/DistrictForestersMap.pdf
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