RE: First annual: Let's not post non recovery...
 

Everybody who has posted on this topic so far have made very good points.Waiting is key! That same coolness that we bring to our hunting strategy we need to bring to our actions after our shot.There is obviously no benefit to pushing a wounded animal.I have been very fortunate and have never lost an animal,but the second deer I shot with a bow I screwed up on.I knew I hit it further back than I wanted to (liver),I was young and in woods that were very thick and I wasn't completely familiar with this area.It was anafternoon hunt and I had shot this buck within about 30 minutes before dark.
The point of the description is to say that there were all these variables going on that had me anxious.I started to trail this deer after only giving it 20 minutes,it was close to dark.I jumped it after about 100 yards.I immediately backed out and came back with help the next morning,I found it within an hour,unfortunately so had the coyotes.Had I not been so anxious and given that animal a couple of hours I would have recovered it more than likely from the first spot that I jumped it.
While at the time and even now I feel like I had minimized my mistake in pursuing it to soon,and recovered it relatively soon the next morning,it bothers me that I lost the animal to the coyotes.Unfortunately in my area the over night wait while the prudent thing to do can quite often cost you the animal.The lesson in that is that in my area any way is that a hunter needs to be prepared and make provision to spend the evening giving ample time to the animal to expire and then to track in the dark.(What ever it takes)!
The "I lost my animal what do I do threads" are a little challenging no doubt but if we can help someone and educate them so the liklihood of them having this same experience again is minimized it is time well spent.

RE: First annual: Let's not post non recovery...
 

I really don't like to see the "lost one" threads. Mostly because 90% of the time the person doesn't listen to the most basic rules. WAIT! It ticks me off whensomeone comes on here, posts "It was almost dark, I shot a deer, not sure where I hit it, I started trailing right away. Now what do I do?" They offer no information for others to assess and help them. They often times state they took a bad shot, and pushed the deer too quickly. If they can take the time to come and ask for help, they can take 15 minutes before the season and read the tracking post that covers basic things not do wrong. Those are the times when things really irritate me.

Now if a person comes on here, states the situation they are in to the best they can describe, and haven't ran off after the deer 2 minutes after shooting it, it is MUCH easier to lend them some help.

RE: First annual: Let's not post non recovery...
 

For an example of why you should WAIT, WAIT, WAIT:

I shot a nice 10-point in 2002 from about 8 yards broadside, hit him about half way up right through both lungs. I got down, went and had breakfast, came back, trailed with my dad (I am colorblind and can't trail blood) for about 600-700 yards, came up on the buck lying there in the weeds and I thought he was dead. I patted his rump and then I noticed he was still breathing. I loaded another arrow and took a step to get a better angle to shoot him again and he jumped up and ran another few hundred yards! I waited there another 30 minutes with my dad as we stared in disbelief. I then started to stalk up to the brush pile he had run towards, but again I was sure he must be dead now since he was so close to death before that helet me pat his rear before. I got about 20 yards from him and BOOM, he runs off again and we watch him run another 500 yards into another small wood lot. We decided to just wait a few hours this time (finally wised up). Found him after six hours and he had just died because he was still completely limp when we found him. I kid you not, this deer was shot through both lungs!!! Now obviously this was a fluke, but it instilled in me the point that I should always wait longer than I think I should.