Originally Posted by
Erno86
OP - What kind of bullet did you use?
Did you aim for the lungs or shoulder?
What was the color and length of the deer hair on the ground?
You might have hit him just below the spine and above the lung cavity --- Which is a non-fatal hit with a muzzleloader bullet.
I imagine that the bullet passed though and exited the body.
Whether he would eventually die of gangrene infection is a quandary.
There is no below the spine and above the lungs. That is a myth. The spine dips and "no mans land" is above the spine.