Bob, broadside to slightly quartering away, he dropped and turned upon the release of the arrow. You bring up a good point about pushing a muscle hit to bleed an animal out. In this case I gave this animal 6 hours and had I caught the lungs in any way I firmly believe this animal would have been expired. Also, the bed we found the animal in was about 50 yards inside the weeks from where I last saw him walk in which is typical of a hit animal. He traveled the 200 yards from the shot impact plus the 50 into the bed site, it's no coincedence that we jumped a buck there. I badgered my friend to describe the animal, the reaction, the what's and hows...no doubt, the right buck.

With the heavy rain and high weeds I have no doubt that the buck we jumped was the same buck I shot thusly showing me he survived the hit and I firmly believe I will see him again the next 2 weeks off work that I am hunting. Personally I can't wait to see him and let the naysayers know...I told you so.[&:]

I didn't recover the arrow which wasn't for the lack of looking by the 3 of us, trust me, we looked but I did mention I studied the entrance and exit wounds with my bino's as the deer stood in the field not 150 yards away and as he walked off. The entrance hole would be on top of his shoulder with the exit hole just lower and forward of that which is consistant with him dropping and turning to bolt. The shot distance was 22 yards with my 20 yard pin picking a hair at the top half of his heart. The arrow replaced my pin on the shot so had he not dropped I am confident the shot would have been in the top of the heart but again, as he dropped and turned, that wasn't the case. Knowing that I didn't get his heart or both lungs while glassing him I realized I had a long wait still filling fairly confident that I might have caught on lung.

On the way to the recovery I mentioned to my friend and his brother that if we jump this deer, I missed the vitals and it would be nothing more than a flesh wound. That is what happened, and I will be redundant in saying that if you where to see the situation, the landscape and the site, you too would have no doubt that we jumped the same animal. I have no doubt and I won't be guided into a doubt as well.

I welcome advice, I welcome suggestions but and had I messed up I am big enough to welcome citicism but in this case with a well executed shot, a correct wait, good follow up and jumping the animal which I know is the same animal, the end result is, the whitetail won.

AND,

to those whom read this thread for what it is and understanding the underlying message that this is not a "I hit one know what thread"....THANK YOU.