bizarre question

[mica]

Hi folks:

This is an unusual request, but I'm hoping y'all can help me out or point me to some resources.

I am currently taking a writing class and am working on a story based on a conversation I sort of remember from years ago. What I remember is that a woman had cut the feet off a deer and was trying to make shoes out of them. Now, this doesn't really make sense to me because I don't know enough about deer anatomy, but I'm wondering if anyone can explain.

Specifically, I'm wondering what typically happens to the feet when the hide is tanned. How are the feet cured? (I know they're sometimes freeze dried, but that's not what I'm looking for.)

I read that deer run on the toenails not toes. Are their feet/hooves similar to horses? Are their hind feet different from the front?

I don't know many hunters, and the one's I've spoken with couldn't give me enough detail. Any specifics y'all could provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Mica

[Hunt79]

I can't see a pair of shoes coming from a deer foot. Even the largest of deer wouldn't have a foot big enough except maybe for a newborn baby. And they have a split hoof in both front and back.

[nhhc]

Maybe she wanted the Heel of a Highheel make from the hard hoove?? or even a nice cowboy boot heeled with deer hoove???

[Brow Tine]

Most of the time the deer legs\feet are sawed off and discarded. Unless you make some kind of mount for them.
See post: http://www.deerhuntingchat.com/viewtopic.php?t=4982
They have a split hoof on the front and back feet.
I can’t really figure out how they would make some shoes from the feet...??

[gary.so.cal.]

if it was a wilderness book and she kept the rest of the deer to survive, maybe she used the skin from the lower part of the feet to wrap around hers as some kind of make shift shoe? considering its garbage.?