One other thing that has helped me out in the past is understanding the importance of staying undetected both before, during and after the shot.
Kyle....I'll "3rd" that...along with tx.
In 2006....I shot at a buck (took him in 2007) and clipped him right behind his right front leg. Being a total newbie and having never taken a deer before....I waited about 20 minutes and got down to check my arrow. Like most beginners and a lot of vets.....I would have bet the farm I smoked him. We followed a very sparse bood trail that night (shot him about 7:20 if I remember correctly)until 3:30AM. We grid searched for a lot of that time.....butwhere the blood trail ended was only about 50yds from directly behind my stand. He'd made a wide sweeping circle....and if I were a betting man....I'd bet he saw me get down and check thearrow.
While that story does have ahappy ending (14 mos. later)....it could have just as easily resulted in a non-recovery and a lost animal.
Keep your ass in your seat for a while......and plan your exit strategy.
Again Kyle.....that's solid advice.
EDIT** For the record....I also searched for that deer for two more days (taking a day off work to do so)......employing even my two labs for those two days. The scenario above....deer was clipped on 9/12.....and I saw the buck again the day after Thanksgiving. I killed that buck Nov. 6th, last season.