What Greg says is very true. I guess it all depends on how well you got a look at where the arrow was and how much was sticking out. In my case, it was right in the middle of the shoulder and between half and three quarters was sticking out. Hence the wise old hunter telling me, give it time because she may or may not make it with a shot like that.
The other thing to consider is though it may be hot out, she may not expire for a very long time yet depending on the hit, so the meat may still be fine, and you may be tracking a live deer that may have a lot of run left in her. It's a tough call, but you're the one in the situation and can determine it best.
I was just trying to offer some perspective, not saying one way or the other is right. Perhaps a compromise is to start looking soon, but keeping the search party to one or two people and moving sloooooowww, like a turtle, watching and looking everywhere as you go. Good luck. Let us know how it works out.
Last edited by minnesotadeer; 09-14-2009 at 07:11 AM.