It was futile as we would have just kept tracking til the next County (it obviously wasn't a kill shot).
Just for informational purposes. THe longest I have tracked a deer and recovered him was a good 600 yards. The deer turned at the 33 yard shot. The arrow whacked the elbow of the near side front leg, busted the bones into 3 or 4 pieces, slipped behind the shoulder, along the chest wall and out the front. It never did enter the cavity but I clipped the artery feeding the front leg. There was very little blood on the ground. When I skinned the deer there was a football size blood clot between the shoulder and the chest wall. It was an extremely tough track. I jumped the deer and watched him hobble to the next ridge. I sat down and watched him for an hour with the binos until his tail started quivering, he expired and rolled over on his side. If I had said 400 yards is enough I never would have got him. As long as there is blood it's best to keep going or come back and do it later. I don't fault you for taking the shot. If I can see my pins and get a sight picture I'll take the shot as if it were midday. When I can't see my fiber optic pins and quickly get a sight picture I get down. That's the way I keep myself from taking poor shots in bad light.