ORIGINAL: wack

Saw A nice buck tonight, took a shot at 36 yards, it looked good, buck dropped in his tracks. He was quartering away, turned straight away at the last second. I see the buck acting like it's crippled then all of a sudden it gets up and walks away! As it's walking away, I can't believe it, I see my arrow sticking straight up but can't tell exactly where from. Somewhere between the front shoulders and the top of his head and still looked to be in line with the spine. That buck shouldn't be able to walk, yet after a couple hours wait, I tracked a good blood trail for about 200 yards where it just stopped. Where I lost the blood trail there is very thick cover to either side. I figured I'd better back out and go look again in the morning. I had tracked it into some thick stuff, figured it went in to die but came out on the other side, went down a logging road where I lost the blood trail.
I don't know what to think, the blood was real bright red almost like lung blood but no bubbles. Though it looked like a spine shot and that was what I was aiming for, could I have missed the spine and got a shoulder blade or the back of the skull? It hit something solid, I didn't get a real good look but it looked like 2/3's of my arrow did not penatrate and it looked like it was stuck strait up and down as he staggered away. I tried a 50 yard desperation shot but it went right under him and broke that arrow on a rock and spooked him a bit. I found white hair on the trail, and no blood or broad head on the arrow. He got a hair cut just below the heart with that shot, should have held just a little higher, I didn't compinsate for the 10 mph wind! grrrr He ran about 10 yards then stood still like he was going to drop again. Staggered backwards, almost sat down like a dog. Then he just walked down the hill out of sight, the last thing I saw was my arrow disapear over the hill very slowly, weaving back and forth, my green and yellow vanes up higher than his antlers.
I really wasn't planning to go back tomorrow but I have no choice. It's a 2 hour drive, going to have to borrow the gas money to go look.