romoving hoof from foot bone?

[bowtarist]

I read on here once that you can soak the foot in water(?) and the hooves will fall off the bone.  Will that work?  My plan is to cut around all the hooves on the eight feet I have go from there.  Any ideas that might make the job quicker/easier.  I cut the heck outta my knuckle and don't have use of my left index finger right now, but I'm still in w/ heart and right hand.  Thanks for any help I can get on this, dpgratz

[YosemiteBen]

Boil up some water - put the toes in just to cover the toe and nothing more on the leg - wait 3 - 5 min and then grab the toe with a pair of channel lock pliers or other wide grip plier and give a little twist and the toes should come off easy and be already cleaned out!  The hot water breaks down some of the collagen bond to make this happen. No cutting involved.  My wife cut the toe bones from the leg and then waited until they started to get ripe - enden up losing the whole mess because they were so stinky no body wanted to mess with them. Leave em in the hot water too long and you might get glue!

[Rick Wallace]

What he said!!  I did that and it worked great!  I soaked mine in some bleach water afterwards and it helped get all the tiny particals out.,helps with the smell a little to

[bowtarist]

Thanks guys, gonna give it a try. I'll check back. 

[footfootfoot]

What are you using the toe hoofs for? I know they can be used as rattles, I'm gonna guess Nocks?

[bowtarist]

So...I got the hooves off.  Went pretty well.  Now do I trim the flesh off the backs?  All the way down to the nail edge? 

What are you using the toe hoofs for? I know they can be used as rattles, I'm gonna guess Nocks?

Ya know, I just thought I'd try it.  I've let many of them slip by in a quick clean-up and now I have older kids, 7 & 4, thought I'd try to use more of the game we take.  I've got the leg bones too.  I've heard I can use hydrogen peroxide to remove the meat.  In the past I made a cage and threw them in the creek for the fish & crawdads to eat.  It worked ok, but took a week and still had to scrap a lot.  How about that H2O2?

[JW_Halverson]

It would take a huge amount of peroxide, and then what's to stop it from eating the hoof material since it is organic, too? 

[bowtarist]

JW-the h2o2 was for the bones and you're right about the amount.  Maybe for a skull, but not for leg bones. 

I've got the hooves off and am wondering how to finsh them.  Looks like I'm gonna wash them w/ a brush and cut the fleshy parts off down to the hard hoof.  Maybe throw them in the borax tub for a night and brush them off.  Store in a cool dry place until ready to use.

Whaddya think? 

[YosemiteBen]

@ Bowtarist - Here in Cali we use the deer toes for girls puberty rattles and noise makers on womens dresses. Leg bns are skinned and leg sinews salvaged - not too much "meat" to deal with. let it dry and then peel it off. Leg bones make needles, awls, gambling bones and a type of ring and stick game. cut the bone is 1/4" "rings" thread 6 or so on a string tie one ofthe end  - tiet the other end to a bone splinter or stick. swing the rings up in the ari and see how many you can get on the stick in one shot.

[Rick Wallace]

Boil the bones as well,,then soak in bleach the same as the hoofs,,thats what I do