Great post Rob! I agree. The 4 letter word will help you the most W-A-I-T!!! (And when in doubt W-A-I-T longer!)

What I do is try and take a mental picture of where my shot hit exactly(if I can). This doesn' t always work though...as your eyes can play tricks on you easily it seems. (We hear this all the time...." it was a perfect shot, right through the lungs...but I can' t find him" ). I usually wait 1/2 hour before getting down to check my arrow. Then based on what I see on the arrow or the ground I go from there. I think nothing can be said that replaces experience...when it comes to tracking bowshot deer. Also, what Farm Hunter said is very important. You have to visually mark the last spot you saw the deer. Coupled with the sign you have on the ground, this can go a long way in helping you make a recovery.

Of course it' s always nice when they only run about 30 yds and pile up ...but anyone that' s hunted them long enough knows they are unpredictible. I' ve seen double lung hits go 150yds and gut shot deer go 50yds.