As my grandfather used to say, put them up and leave them alone. Let them dry on their own.
Once the hulls start splitting, pry off what you can and then wait some more.
We have a farm in the river bottoms with a small 20 acre woods on it. At one time it had dozens of 30 inch hickories with nuts bigger than silver dollars. My job was to collect the nuts and the squirrels. I got good at both jobs.
To me, they make a better "pecan" pie than pecans do. They have a stronger, more earthy taste. It's a lot more work getting the meat out than pecans are, but worth it to me. A pick is pretty much required, they used to be sold just for hickory nuts.
River bottom nuts need to be turned up on their side and cracked that way.
Ken