use this as a part of your learning curve , none of us is perfect we all have a great deal different experiences,
chances are good the deer may recover if it was a flesh wound,
you can,t change the past but you can learn from mistakes and improve going forward!
look if you were learning to ice skate and fell on your butt!, its just part of the learning process, and youll improve if you concentrate on the basics and learn how you initially may have screwed up, in this case Its probably related to rushing the shot and crap shot placement... your certainly not the first nor will you be the last to make a less than ideal shot.

I remember my first Deer, it was more luck than skill. I had Buck fever pretty bad, the Adrenalin was pumping. All I could really see was a Deer, my sight picture was all wrong, the Deer was in sharp focus and my front sight was fuzzy.
Make sure your marksmanship is good, practice. Aim small, miss small. I pass on a lot of shots, I'm a selective shooter. I've tracked too many of the other guys mistakes and learned from my own mistakes and theirs.
Sounds like you put in a reasonable effort, in fact beyond reasonable. I'd chalk it up to bad luck more than lack of effort. After 4-5 hours I usually take a break and call in some help. It is always nice to know someone with a dog.
No matter how good you are. there is always the chance of a twig between you and your target and a less than perfect shot. Or the Deer bolts right as you shoot or a dozen other things that can go wrong.
Nice that you shared your mistakes, it may keep someone else from making the same mistakes.
I feel a large sense of satisfaction when my Deer goes down in a pile, DRT. It is the high point of my hunt.
I had a Hog do the same thing your Deer did, laid there looking dead until my dog stuck his nose up that Hogs butt.

I had a hog I thought was dead do the same thing when I was taking pictures of it it charged me. I killed it at me feet with my hand gun with a draw and fire.

Respect the antlers, respect the hooves, respect the teeth.

OUCH!, HELL THATS A DOUBLE OUCH!!
and a good reason to carry a 357 mag or larger, hand gun for making damn sure you win a confrontation BEFORE the deer gets in his licks,
thats going to leave an impressive scar... and a story you might want to avoid telling

Woodsman603 - I feel for ya bro. I lost a monster 14 point whitetail that way, near the beginning of my deer hunting career (bout 55 years ago). I aimed a little high with my single shot 12 gauge slug gun, because of the high weeds in the field. He fell right down (dark deer hair all over the the ground) and immediately got up and ran away ...never to be found again. I found some blood about 200 yards away, with no oxygen bubbles in the blood (which signifies a double or single lung hit). The shot placement of the deer you shot might be an indication of a non-vital hit --- So it's possible that the deer might recover.

I've never forgiven myself for losing that deer. It's been documented that 2 out of 3 Boone & Crockett bucks shot are lost and never recovered. But the tragedy did not stop me from hunting deer. Just be glad that you have a deer hunting paradise to hunt in, and hopefully you can make it up in the near future.

P.S. --- Look for black vultures (buzzards) flying about in a circle...which might lead you to your prize.

Good luck...

Erno

So I can only post five times a day which sucks. Not sure if that's because I just joined or what. I can't even edit existing posts.

Went back this morning with two others. A million deer tracks, but no blood. We circled and circled but no signs.

We determined I shot it below the spine, but above the organs. Guess there's somewhat of a gap there. Friends tell me it will probably live. Hell, its probably back where I shot it looking for a doe. And everyone I've talked to says this has happened to them; and it sucks. Apparently trailing it for 7h and a few miles is unheard of.

Learning experience for sure. And I'll never think the deer is dead again. I'll put at least one round into it's skull. Every time. I'll also never push a deer either. I'll look for blood, then head back for an hour.

Still frustrating. Won't get any sleep for a few more days.

The best way to put one down is 2-3 pistol shots through the neck, 4-8 inches in from the shoulder, from about 12 feet away, body shots can be iffy. Be careful shooting at a down Deer from a close distance with a rifle. The bullet may go right through and if it hits a rock it may shatter and/or come back at you. The second time I heard a bullet go zinging off into the woods after shooting a downed Deer with a rifle, I changed tactics. I use a moderate velocity pistol, large bore, heavy bullet 200 grain or more, semi jacketed hollow points work well, Blazer and Silver Tips. And the neck shot is less likely to make a mess.

I think you did a stand up job tracking. Way too many hunters quickly give up. I don't blame you for feeling down over the experience. but you learned a huge amount with that. It sounds like one thing you don't need lessons in is tracking. For next season, as others have pointed out, bone up on your deer anatomy, and your shooting. I am guessing your 30-30 has open sites? With practice, you can become very capable a marksman. Read up on a six oclock hold. You aren't sighting using the center of the front bead....that ends up covering a huge amount of your target. You use the very top edge of your front site...the fine line, as your point of impact aiminig point.
Sorry you lost the deer, it certainly is reason to be upset, but I think from your story, you were a very ethical and appropriate sportsman.
One other thing...I understand your hesitation with the 2nd shot....but another round behind the shoulder into the boilermaker shouldn't harm much meat.

Thanks man. The snow made it easy. I don't know how people can possibly track with no snow. I'm also in some very heavy forest. The deer runs ten feet and its out of sight. So once its been shot, it will high-tail it out of there and it disappears. Not like a field where you can see the direction it ran in.

I know I aimed a bit high. Lesson learned there. Aim a little lower.

Open sites on the 30-30. I can't do a scope easily because its top ejection. There are side scopes, but they're wonky. I don't know if I'd actually like a scope. The woods are so dense, that I think I'd lose sight of the deer. In an open area, I can see using a scope.

And thanks again. I just feel guilty for injuring the deer. People are telling me to go out again because the deer will probably return where it was looking for a doe.

We got about 16" of snow last night so I'm going to wait for it to stop. One morning before work I'll venture out for an hour. See what I can find.

I just keep repeating me firing that shot over and over again in my head. Driving me up a wall.