It depends on when the deer dies. My buddy shot one at 4:00 pm and it was still alive at 9:45 am when we found it.

If you can take the day off do it. You made the bad hit, do what it takes to retrieve the animal.

I think I am going to take everyones advice and take off tommorow and go at first light and find my deer thanks for all your responces and I will keep you updated

FIRST LIGHT! 3 o'clock tomarrow is too late. Because you backed off....you should find it quickly. It should of bedded down quickly and as long as you didn't push it, it will be there. Tell work you'll be alittle late or start looking an hour before light.

Wishing you luck!

my dad shot a buck in the gut last year , it was in the mid 30s all night and the deer was still trashed ! you gotta think that deer is layin there all night with toxin running throughout its body , that is what kills it , not being able to not breathe or nething , it poisons itself on its own gut juices!!!!

If you find it tommorow and skin it , if all the blood vessels are really buldged and it smells bad , get rid of it , thts how my dads was and it wasnt even a thought to keep it around!

Good luck finding it...it should be near by. Sometimes a gutshot deer will head to water. If you can't find it check the nearest water source.

Good Luck

KEC

Two years ago I shot one at dusk and it started raining, lost the trail. the following morning found it and about half of the deer was eaten. Find it quick!

Yep water is where a gut shot deer will go they tend to get very thirsty becuase of the stomach wound

Good luck!

How in the world could you even wait until 3:00? Drives me nuts when I've had to wait for first light to finish tracking an animal. I think I slept about 18 minutes that night. I couldn't wait.

Double lung how you figure that out? The buck I mentioned my friend shooting meat was fine,he had been stewing in his own toxins for about 16 hours,alive.