OK... now Im not shure what kind of walnut tree it is. After doing a little digging I see that there doesnt seem to be a walnut tree that is native to my area. Who knows....maybe its a japanese walnut. I dont want to propogate a problem tree. I'd like to stick to learning how to propogate native restoration trees.

Any thoughts?

Your chances of digging and potting a black walnut from your yard is not likely to succeed. They put down a taproot before any above ground growth and digging them out without distroying them is very difficult. My squirrels plant plenty in my pots and if I can get one before it grows through the pot and into the ground I could save one,SHOULD I WANT TO. Al

I yanked an 18" specimen out of our clay soil with the tap root more or less intact early this spring..the root was easily 2 feet. I did this while the tree was still dormant...planted it out and it's been doing just fine.
I've moved a lot of smaller ones, and many, many oaks and hickories....the tap root isn't magic, but try to save as much as possible. Some of my earliest transplants were over 2 feet...they're well over 25 feet now.

Walnuts are relatively easy to dig and transplant - but best done while dormant.
The walnuts, while taprooted, like most members of their family, 'lose' their taprooted nature and begin developing a more lateralized root system far sooner than do the hickories. As a result, in my experience, they are easier to dig and transplant than are pecans/hickories, and have higher transplant success.