Well from the sound of it i would have to say POOR SHOT PLACMENT!!!!!

I have been bowhunting for about 25 years and i am a very good shot and i will not take a shot past 25 yards. I really like to keep my shots under 20 yards. You might want to try that for awhile until you get a few deer under your belt. If you do your scouting right you should'nt need to shoot far...