On opening day my 13 year old nailed a doe at 20 feet. I know it was a good hit from where the fletching was sticking out from the side. This was at 6:15 pm. I waited until 7 to start tracking and followed the sparse bloodtrail until dark. Left and got reinforcements and more flashlights. Searched until 11 pm and then back again at dawn to find the deer. We lost the bloodtrail and then did a grid search until 1 pm in the afternoon. Never found the deer. I even went back next day for a look on my own. My son is heartbroken and discouraged about hunting because of it.

It was my incompetence with the tracking and not his effort that lost the deer. He had decided that his tag was used for the year. But since he is only 13 I told him to use it when he felt like going back out. (He could have had another tag even if we found the deer)

I am sure that you did the absolute best anyone could have done. This is a thing that has happened numerous times to others and will happen again. Get back out when you can