Trying to pick them off the ground is a race between the deer. The coons and possums and myself…lol
Put a sheet or tarp down and shake the tree, as well as you can. Persimmon trees can get over 80' tall, but most bearing trees are much shorter, usually in the 30 some foot range. Thin trees can just be shook as high as you can reach. On thicker trees, I use a long metal hook to knock fruit and nuts down by hooking branches and repeatedly pulling down. It works great. Ripe fruit and nuts easily fall off. Branches that start high on the tree, especially when the tree is laden with fruit, still often dangle low enough on the ends to hook.
A strong, but light rope with a rock or stick tied to the end, so you can throw it high over higher branches and catch them, works well too. When done, let the weight of the rock or stick pull it back to the ground by letting go of the other end. I prefer rocks over sticks. I just carve out the middle of the rock a little, so the rope holds well. Rocks fall clear easier when released.
Try to avoid getting hit in the face or head by falling fruit. I got a bruise from a black walnut and a cut and a bruise from another one this year, on my supraorbital ridges.
I've shook down persimmons, pawpaws, apples, pears, peaches, nectarines, plums, cherries, mulberries, buckeyes, acorns, black walnuts, heartnuts, buartnuts, pecans and hicans.
A strong, long metal hook is a very useful tool. I also use it to pull milk crates, pots and other items from truck beds and to move hay bales. They can be very useful in water trapping to hook traps and catches, that come loose, or that get tangled up. I have 3 long metal hooks of various lengths.
Keith
