ORIGINAL: gmil6184
If she hit her high it would seem that the shock the slug hitting her temporarily stunned her which would explain her flipping onto her back and appearing to be hit very hard. Once the initial shock wore off she would be able to recover and run away. Since the wound is really nothing more then a flesh wound it would make sense there would be some fairly good blood where she went down and thrashed about. it would also explain the lack of blood when you attempted to trail her. if you put a slug through anything vital she would be down in very short order, if you hit guts she probably wouldn't have flopped and you def would have found guts.
Kinda what I'm thinking the more I think about it. I know all the deer I hit with my 870 haven't gone far at all. So I'm thinking it being so close she hit high above the shoulder looking through the scope. The slugs are devistating but if she hit it poorly I can understand. If I see the deer again I'll do everything I can to take it. I've warned the neighbor to check for it in the areas on his place where she was headed.
On a positive not I found a ton of buck sign in the thick stuff. Actually I knew it would be there but I've intentionaly stayed out because its pretty much unhuntable. Unless I had a tripod stand or something. Anyway I'll get her back out in guns season. This was our youth gun season. I'll probably bowhunt Thursday and gun hunt opening day and the next day.
My daughter I think is taking it better than me. LOL I hate lossing one. And I hate it for her. But she does know we did everything we could. And she knows it realy won't go to waste.