To me, once a deer is wounded, arrowed, hit or whatever, all bets are off.

Core areas, bedding areas and the ruination of future hunts....it doesn't matter anymore. We as hunters, owe it to that deer, to make every effort to recover it.

I've tromped through plenty of core/bedding areas if effort to recover or attempt to recover a deer. Done this many, many times in my hunting career.

I've trashed hunting areas and spooked deer. I've ruined awesome stand sites. To me, its all part of the game. It is what is expected when you are a truly ethical hunter.

Been there, done that and will do it again.

I believe waaaay toooooo many hunters give up tracking wounded deer way too early. I've recoverd many deer that others gave up on.

It sickens me as to how so many deer lay in the woods dead, because the hunter didn't bother to track it far enough.

I've tracked deer with little or no blood trail. I've done grid searches and the whole nine yards. Sometimes when you come up empty, it is easy to second guess yourself for doing so when it totally ruins a good hunting area. But deep down I know I did the right thing. When a recovery is made, I definitely know I did the right thing