Can someone in MO help this mom?

[fishdoggydog]

I saw this letter in a newsletter from whitetail.com and thought of the great folks on Huntchat forum, and maybe an answer to the problem. Here is the letter, no need to point out some issues, I see them as you will also.

Hi Johnny,
Thanks for letting me be a part of your newsletter. I really enjoy your site and all of the stories and tales!

I come to you needing a little help. You see I live near KC, MO, and we just had our youth hunting weekend, Oct. 28 - 29th. I am not fortunate enough to have private land for my son to hunt on, so we hunt on public conservation land.

I have been hunting this particular spot for over 4 years, and this was my son's 3rd year hunting. He was really excited that this would be the year that he finally got a deer, even if it were a doe.

The corn was uncut so we faced disrespectful duck hunters stomping through the woods right in front of us (less than 100 yds away) shooting their shotguns off in rapid fire trying to get their birds, and we came across more than 5 bow hunters.

Needless to say I sat with my 11 year old son for all 4 hunts, completely sent free, on the ground and in the air, freezing our butts off and watching him cry his eyes out in frustration saying his contacts were bothering his eyes, he wasn't crying.

Sunday night, during his last chance to hunt, we scared up 2 does. He put his riffle up, ready to shoot, I was hollaring at him to SHOOT SHOOT SHOOT!, and as they were gone, he put the gun down and looked at me and said mom, I couldn't shoot her, I couldn't see her kill zone, and I wasn't going to shoot her in the butt, you told me only to shoot if I am sure I can kill it.

I felt horrible. I was ready to comprimise all I had taught him about one shot one kill, hunting ethics and everything else just for him to have a chance at getting one. I told him I knew that was what I had said, but that I just wanted him to get one so bad that I didn't care if he just shot it until it was dead. He hugged me and said he loved me.

Maybe it's just me being a mother, wanting the best for my son, but I think it is more than that. Where is the respect for the kids? Not all of us are blessed with the good fortune of private land. Not all of us can afford the thousands of dollars it takes to join a hunting club. I did last year, they promised it would be fine for me to hunt with my son, that they had tons of land for deer hunting and so on. But the truth to the matter was, that unless you were part of their good ol boys club you got last pick for everything. We got the worst spots and then were told that it was a liability to have the kids hunting and it wasn't allowed. I canceled it, and lost over $2,000.00.

Here is my question for the other hunters out there, and the Conservation Department too: Since the kids only get 2 days to hunt, why can't we make it so that they are the only ones allowed to hunt for anything during those 2 days? Or why can't they designate the larger areas for deer hunting to only youth hunting during those 2 days and designate other areas for other types of hunting?

It is hard enough being a mother raising boys on my own, trying to keep them out of trouble and on the right track. Being a female hunter I am already in the minority, but then trying to share that sacred bond of parent/child hunting as a mom is even more difficult. I am so frustrated, and disappointed for my sons 3rd year deer-less that I don't know what else to do except ask for help.

I promised him that I would find private land for him to hunt next year. If you have any recommendations or suggestions, or if you know of anyone I could pay, please let me know. It took me the entire 2 hour drive home Sunday night of me talking to him, to get him to agree to give it one more try. He wanted to quit and just give up. I am heart broken.

Thanks for listening.

Nichole