This past week (Sat. Sept 11) while hunting during the KS youth season with my 11 year old, we did something that I truly feel horribly about and I'm looking for some consolation.

We went out to hunt whitetails on some private property that we have permission to hunt on. It's a great property and absolutely loaded with deer. Within the first hour, a doe presents an easy shot at 40 yards. My nervous 11 year old is gripped with buck fever and fails to steady himself in time to get a good shot off. No problems, about an hour later, a couple of does show up about 150 yards away - too far for him to shoot, but they're headed somewhat in our direction.

They get about 80-90 yards from us along the edge of the field they were following. It's the closest they will get on thier current route, and I tell my 11 year old to take a shot because he won't see too many that are better. He aims at one of the does that happens to be shielded from my view by a low hanging branch, but he has a perfect view of it. He fires and exclaims, "I hit it." I wasn't able to see the shot or where the deer went afterwards.

We immedately go to the spot he thought it was at. We search far and wide for blood, hair, anything and find nothing. We fan out for about 30 yards into the very dense woods (everything is very thick, still green, and growing right now) next to the field. We still find nothing. I ask him more about where the deer was standing and where it went. To the best of our knowledge, we've looked for it and can't find any evidence that it was hit. I assume he missed, and we move on.

We see 12-14 more deer that evening, but nothing presents a good shot. So, we pack it in when it gets dark, and we make it back the follwing Friday. While walking the property on our way to where we were going to set up, we smell something dead. After looking for 30 minutes, we finally find the remains of a doe - nothing but skin and bones. The coyotes had picked it clean. There was no doubt that it was the doe he shot.

The little bit of skin that remained on the ribcage showed a well placed shot. The doe had gone 40 yards and left no evidence of being hit and made it into some of the thckest stuff I've ever seen.

So, what do you think? I feel like an irresponsible hunter, and to make it worse, this would have been my 11 year old's first deer. I now vow not to let him shoot unless I have the deer squarely in my binocs.

So, let me have it.