It' s happened to me three times in my hunting lifetime. Once earlier this year on an eight-point that I hit too far back. It left the property I was hunting and I was unable to retrieve it until the next day in 70 degree weather. It had already started decomposing and was partially eaten (coyotes?).

The other two were when I was much younger. One was a 7-pointer that I hit high in the shoulder and could see the arrow sticking halfway out as it bolted away. We found the arrow (no broadhead) bent up about 100 yards away with a small pool of blood. Two years later my brother saw an 11-pointer that had an ugly scar on the same shoulder from the same stand. I make myself feel better by believing it was the same deer.

I hit a 6-pointer behind the ribcage that was quartering away very sharply. I thought this was a good shot. It left a red carpet through over two hundered yards of woods that led to a huge pool of blood. There was no bloodtrail leading away in any direction. We had given it 45 minutes before taking up the trail. I can only assume that another hunter grabbed it a ran. It would' ve been the largest I' ve ever harvested (in terms of mass and tine length).

It' s not a good feeling at all. I think the reason we all feel so bad about it is because of our respect and love for the whitetails we pursue. Not that we' d feel any better if it was different animal.