im an avid bowhunter but im also a rifle hunter & to be honest with u i have killed way more animals with my bow than i have my rifle & thats only because i enjoy bowhunning more than i do gun hunning, but i will tell u that i to have lost a few deer due to poor shot placement, i have never lost a deer to good shot placement but ive seen it happen & some of it is because of poor tracking jobs & others are a mystery, on the other hand i have also been on deer leases where deer/hogs had been shot with big bad 7mags & 300mags & to were never found so i believe it isnt the choice of weapon, but the indian that is handleing it regardless it can happen in both categories & that is y i dont hate on anybodies preference of hunning