If the deer is shot, and someone scours every inch within a 200yd circle and can't find it, I am extremely skeptical that they hit it where they say they did. I've helped recover enough "perfect shot" deer with holes from their stomach all the way to their rump to believe people can reliably judge a hit that well.
Bingo
Killed a lot of deer in my lifetime,over 300of them. Killed about 20 with .50 muzzleloaders. Everything you say is true.
Have tracked downnumerous deer, hogsandan elk that other hunters claimed they hit in the lungs, etc. With the exception of the elk, every one of them was shot in the stomach or guts. Saw dust fly off the elk when it was hit. The guy claimed hehad not hit it and drove off.Tracked that elk about one-quarter mile where it was found dead.
The search for the magic bullet that will turn a gut shot into a bang flop every time continues.