Groundhog mocs?

[Kegan]

I was wondering, since my brother is having a little trouble tanning out some larger deer skins for mocs this fall, would groundhogs make good footware? They make some of the best bow strings, but how do they work for your feet?

[huntertrapper]

need to soften em a bit but id imagine theyd work. ive wondered it myself. ive killed a few but most become rawhide

[Hillbilly]

I've made braintan buckskin out of a couple (chuckskin? ) and it's very similar to deer hide, just a bit thinner. It should work if you get big enough pieces. Groundhog hide is some tough stuff.

[Kegan]

Excellent. This gives me a reason to go after them (besides a light larder ).

[Hillbilly]

Groundhog rawhide is the traditional material for shoelaces here in the mountains, I guess because it's so tough. When I was growing up, I once saw my great uncle buy a new pair of boots, pull the new laces out and throw them away and replace them with groundhog hide ones.

[TreyNC]

I tanned a few (or tried) to make some mocs out of. I wanted hair on. When tanning hair on if I remove the skin form the rack to work it, it shrinks a lot. Lay the tanning solution to it. They are going to last longer than deer for sure. I ripped a deer skin I tried to tan after tanning a couple of hogs because I could be so rough with the ground hog and the deer skin coulden't take it.

I was told or read some where that natives in my general area used them for moc soles because they were so tough. O and one more thing, if skinning more than one of those little buggers, take a sharpening stone with you, might need it.

Trey