ORIGINAL: skeeter 7MM
I don't agree with your statement in bold. An animal can die by other than a vital hit from an arrow, bullet, etc.
Ie:
You hit them in the guts they will die!! You hit them in the jaw on a botched head shot they will die!! You may never find them because of the lack of blood spill but they willnot survive all non vital hits.
Actually a gut shot is a vital shot, they will bleed to death. Now a jaw shot is not, and technically the bullet didnt kill them, starvation or infection did.