Jim, I' ve been in situations before with little blood and poorly hit deer. This was a little different in that the blood trail was VERY heavy and I' m familiar with femoral artery hits....with as much blood as he lost and the distance I followed it I figured he' d be at the bottom of the hill...he was, just not dead yet. I think some deer just refuse to give up a little harder than others. I would have never persued him after only an hour if the blood trail told me otherwise. I' m just glad it all worked out in the end and he was recoverd. I feel bad about him suffering for so long, but I didn' t want to push him. Advice noted and taken with your sincerity in mind! Thanks![8D]