First season of nuts from hazelnuts

I actually never thought my hazelnuts would produce in my zone, 3, but this year it is loaded.

I’m also zone 3 east of Edmonton Alberta and we have a forest of indigenous hazelnut bushes. We’ve lived here for 16 years and I’ve been obsessed with how the heck to beat the squirrels to harvest day. So far I’m stumped

I’m on a new machine and can’t search well, but members have weirdly had luck putting buckets at the bottom of the trunks.  Squirrels fill them, thinking they’re burying the nuts, and they can be emptied daily.

The squirrels get all of mine too.  I need to research that bucket thing I guess.  My hazelnuts are pretty young but have a pretty good crop this year.  I'd like to get to try them at least.