I have never gut shot a deer though I have missed with a bow and arrow a few times. I have been unable to recover a deer once with a bow, I suspect it was taken by another hunter since I tracked it to an area that looked like a blood bath and my arrow was laying it the middle of it. No gut pile and no blood trail leaving the area. I have never seen a deer bleed so much and not be finished. It always haunted me.

This year I bought a nice bolt action with a good scope and a recurve crossbow. My reasoning is I never want to miss or wound an animal, accuracy is very important to me. If I am willing to spend hours and hours waiting for game then the best shot is what myself and the game deserves, no doubts, no worries, no lost game.

Your predicament should always haunt you for good reason. I proves you care and it will drive you to improve and hopefully never find yourself in the same place again.