i cheated...
i did 8 last flintlock season...
i know i used Borax in the water...i cant remember if there was salt in it or not...
what i did was fill the bucket with water and borax(possibly salt but i dont think..i want to say straight borax..half a box or something like that..
i then wired the deer feet in the angle i wanted....saw them off a few inches longer than you want as the hide shrinks an inch or 2...you can saw them after dried..
i left them in the bucket a few weeks..gave them a stir everytime i thought about it..
pulled them out and rinsed them real good with water...brushed the hair nice and let them dry...after dried for a few days, i unwired them and they turned out fine...
my buddy taught me that...hes had the same 4 feet for many years...they look fine...mine been hanging in a bag on the back of my door for a year now and are fine..no smell..no bugs..
probably not perfect...but VERY cheap and simple to do...if they start to smell or fall apart, i cut more feet off deer i kill and make new ones...not a big loss...if they were going to stink they would have done it by now...