Well I had some bad luck the other day. I was bow hunting and had 2 nice bucks walk by just out of range. So I let them get out of sight and climbed down to put a stalk on them.They were headed for a field so I figured they would mingle on the edge for awhile until it got dark. So I ended up getting to 30 yards of one of them but by this time he was in the field about 15 yards. So he hard something and looked right at me and took a couple steps which put him quartering away(perfect). So I drew and when I went to look through my peep I had nocked my arrow so I couldn't see thought the peep. So I un nocked and re nocked and the deer never moved. Pulled back again ,centered my 30 yard pin on his vitals and touched the trigger on my release . The arrow looked like it hit a little far back but it was quartering away. The deer just about fell over when the arrow hit it and took off low and hard.But it looked like I didn't get any penetration. It ran over a hill and that is the last I saw it. Because be the time I went back to my stand to get my flashlight it had started to pour down rain. I looked for blood right away but no luck finding any. Looked in the rain for 2 hours and found no sign. Went back the next day for 4 hours and found nothing not even my arrow.I think when the other buck ran in front of the one I shot it followed it instead of doing what wounded deer do ,follow the least resistance of travel.

Clear your conscience and put more time looking for that deer. 6 hours is decent, but putting in a little more time will ease your mind you tried hard. You never know. If you do happen to see ravens/crows/eagles/buzzards grouping or hovering in an area, most likely your buck is there.

Also, be on the look out for similar bucks, because you just may see the same buck again and will notice the wound.

Sometimes things just don't go right.

Good luck,

iSnipe

Thats a tough break........I have lost a few an it just sucks!

Last year while gun hunting in N Central MO I pulled the trigger on the largest buck of my life.....It pulled up a leg and hobbled off the field. Dead Deer I thought.......I looked for the better part of the night and the next day untill I went across property I didn't have permission to be on.......I was just sick.

The very next sat evening I get a text message with a picture from the land owner......Its my buck........A 14 year old boy shot it that evening. He was in pretty bad shape but came out into the same field after 5 does. The kid shot him at 40 yards.......His first deer......I found out this spring it nets 178 and change and was a 10 point typical.....A true monster. They had him on camera several times!

After gutting the deer they found out that I shot 2 inches below its vitals and crippled him.......My tex message said "aim 2 inches higher next time dumb ass" ..........I still feel your pain!

I still don't know what I did wrong or why I didn't hit the heart and lungs. I was dead solid on that buck, sitting in a tower blind with a good rest. He was broadside and stopped in a clover field. I just screwed it up.........somehow.

Dang, that has to put a stick in your craw.

Something that will hang with you for life.

iSnipe

Well I haven't seen any crows all in one spot. Maybe I hit the shoulder bone and that is why it looked like I didn't get any penetration, so maybe it did survive.