The hickory is the problem. You are going to have to start over, sand, and the floor should have had a wood conditioner before attempting any stain. Frankly, I'd leave it natural. Hickory varies widely in grain tightness and porosity, leading to exactly what you have in results, Even testing as you did, isn't a guarantee over the entire floor.

You could sand and water pop,raise the grain then sand again, apply a wood conditioner and try again. Don't love weathered oak, btw. Go deeper, less orange. Get a better flooring pro; nobody who values his reputation would leave that behind. It's........well......hideous. ?