hey rack - i had the same thing happen to me, except that i shot it broadside with an underpowered gun...he ran and ran and doubled back and ran some more. we tracked that thing for 3 hours in the freezing dark, so we gave up for that night and i woke up the next morning to mom callin and saying there's a deer about 150 yds from where we quit and in the direction we thought he was running. but he was on the side of the road, and when we got there, somebody cut the rack and the hams off...but he was big, and the shot was right at dark, and from the blood, it looked to be a lung shot (foamy blood) and when we found blood, it was spots as big as a nickel and about 10 ft apart.

i know how you feel, that one woulda been my biggest, too