A overhead shot @ 11 yds, quartering, if you had clipped the heart you should have found the deer. A one lung hit the deer will travel and could very well survive.
Any kind of hair/smell at all on the arrow?
It sure sound like you have tried your best, I still wouldn't give up at this point. The deer could be lying under your nose.
I kid you not, I searched for a deer one morning, in every possible direction, then mapped circles, the other larger than the one before. I thumbled the bush, at least I thoughtI did.
After 6-1/2 hours I still could not find that deer--but my arrow signs told me the deer was hit, strong smell of the gut and blood-- then no blood.
I sighed and sighed, rubber my forehead, removed my cap about 1000 times, sat on the ground and looked for something 'white'--the snow hadn't come in a yet--easier to see than looking from something brown.
A long story short--I decided it was time to quit and started heading back out--would you believe, I caught a glimpse of a 'white thing', turned in that direction immediately and Lo & behold, it was the deer--it had wedged itself under a spruce and was almost invisible--except for the tail, curved up, that's how I found thatdeer. Of course I had another huge sigh--this time of relief!! I found it just it time--as the weather wasn't that cold, another few hours I would have lost the meat.
I hope if you don't find your deer you see him on you camera sometime soon.
These things will happen bud--don't take it out on yourself. This would not stop you fromholding your head for sometime to come--butsome time or another during your lifetime as a hunter, you MUST & WILL experience this anger!! We're only human--( and you'll probably get a few remarks cioming your way from the SUPER-Humans)--not to worry too much, life goes on--score this as aloss, look ahead, chin up--this will make you appreciate the animal even more, moreso when you nail another andthrow him in the pick-up. Cheer up--or at least TRY!!!