I hear ya bud! After the shot the first thing that comes to mind is; dead deer, good shot, did I hit it, did I see it drop, where last I saw it, etc?
A decision has to be made one way or another.
Obviously the next move would be to recover the deer and under the circumstances you were up against you made a good call.
I understand.
But please understand what I'm saying here--and with all sincerity, if it was a shot in the vitals it would not have taken very long to find the animal. A blood trail helps a great deal in finding an animal--but you can also find a deer without following a blood trail--if it's dead.
However, if by any means a hunter questions himself on the shot and isn't able to find the animal after a reasonable search, it's best to back out.
If a deer isn't fatally hit, a blood trail will be of no help.
Sometimes on the other hand--"TIME" could be the code for finding that deer.
SBGobblers, I am just sharing my opinion here. I have absolutely intention of faulting you for the decision you took. You tried your best and that says it all. I'm just giving you another alternative to look at (which you may already know).
God knows, I feel your pain and I wish you had found your deer.
The best of luck for the rest of the season, go get'em!