I' ll throw in a couple of things that have helped me over the years. I think the first few seconds after the shot could mean the difference between finding and losing a deer. I always make a mental note of how the deer was standing, and try to note trees or other landmarks that the animal goes by as it runs away.
I try to listen after he it gets out of sight and I take a compass bearing on the last place I heard the animal. I once found a buck this way. Marking with toilet paper or flagging tape helps you stay on the trail and it might keep you from getting lost. A gps is also handy for this (bring plenty of batteries).
[] OMG - 40 days and 40 nights till the start of the season. Where the heck did Summer go?
Crap I have to re-order new arrows, and shoot them before the start of the season. (too many broken nocks, a few retired due to being Successful) I am down to 2 broadheads for game, 1 broadhead for practice/tuning and 4 with field tips. I better get cracking. ouch that came up really fast.
More great advice guys, keep it coming...we need to find all the animals this year...I just hope members are reading and letting these posts sink in....
One thing I thought of post, post..lol and nobody mentioned yet is.....
When all else fails and the blood quits or you feel you' ve jumped an animal.....look towards water. A hard hit animal, especially one that isn' t an immediate mortal one will seek water. That' s the case in many times on gut or liver shot animals...more so gut shot ones. They may seek a creek/stream bed, pond, river or whatever. Many times you' ll find your animal lying there or close by. That' s been the case on a couple gut shot deer we' ve found over the years.
One thing that I forgot to mention. Last year as I tracked my deer [Liver and one lung hit] it never dawned on me that she would have gone uphill and I was focused on a side hill or downhill track. She went up a fairly steem hill and had bedded on top of a knob about 100 yards up this hill.
So while animals hit hard do not normally run uphill THEY WILL . . . so be alert and watch for them to change course and head uphill.
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Bowhunter
Mathews Switchback XT, Shaffer Mat-1 Dropaway Rest, Toxonics K9 HD 5 pin, Dead On Range Finder, No-Peep, Fletcher .44 Caliper release, Beman ICS 400 Hunter Arrows, Sonic (7/8" 100' s, Simms Modular Stabilizer, Balcom Bowsling.
According to John Trout Jr. who has spent years studying and researching these issues, rockytop is exactly right, most lost game animals are due to giving up too soon.
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Bowhunter
Mathews Switchback XT, Shaffer Mat-1 Dropaway Rest, Toxonics K9 HD 5 pin, Dead On Range Finder, No-Peep, Fletcher .44 Caliper release, Beman ICS 400 Hunter Arrows, Sonic (7/8" 100' s, Simms Modular Stabilizer, Balcom Bowsling.
As stated by many remember the direction and spot you last saw the deer, burn it into your mind, after 1/2 hour check the arrow and after you determine whether to track then or later, slowly move to the last spot you saw the deer and MARK it.
If there is blood trail there, start there, remember a hit deer will run hard through some of the thickest stuff you can imagine, if it doesn' t bed soon after or if it did bed and then moves later (not jumped, but moved of it' s own accord) it will act like any other deer and follow the path of least resistance, look hard for the blood trail, if you can not find it mark the last blood and try and think like a wounded/dying deer, you want to find a safe place to lay down, you do not want to put forth a lot of effort, move in the direction that will lead to cover and is easily traveled, until you either pick up the blood trail again or find your deer. If you do not find either after 100 yards, back track to the last blood and go with the second logical path you as a wounded deer will follow.
None of the above is really any good if you push the deer, as others have said repeatedly, if the deer doesn' t crash in sight, patience is key!!!
BTW Rob excellent topic!
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The Tazman aka Martin Price
Proud father of a Devil Dog
RE: Recovery, What to do after the shot.
Marking with toilet paper or flagging tape helps you stay on the trail and it might keep you from getting lost. A gps is also handy for this (bring plenty of batteries).
] OMG - 40 days and 40 nights till the start of the season. Where the heck did Summer go? 
