If you don't go in an exhaust every possibilty and give it the most effort you can, you are a slob.

Now granted some peoples best efforts are different, but you should give it all you can, even if it means walking thru your areas.

There's a happy medium between your 2 efforts. GO in and follow the trail like normal taking as long as needed. IF you still feel the deer is dead, you should grid or circle pattern the entire area. Not wanting to spook future deer is a poor reason to call off a track and you don't belong out there hunting.