Dave, your buddy did the right thing. That doe deserved to be persued to completion. I have recovered deer in similar situations myself.

Found a doe last year in Dec. that had a bad hit to her upper ham and another across her back, neither initially lethal. However, she was very much dead when I found her. That was the first time I had hunted that particular area that year.

This year another hunter in my party reported a person for wanton waste, after he failed to attempt to retrieve two deer he shot at. We were able to follow both deer by there obvious blood trails even without snow for assistance. The coyotes got the first one before we did, the second one we didn't find, though not for lack of trying.