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That's a really good observation Tanner. I never really even thought of that, because I would really hope that a person wouldn't take that type of shot at an animal. Big buck or not!! I wish Rack were around to clear some of this up for us.

Lazyarcher...........how can a shotgun sighted in at 100 yards be low at 30? Wouldn't it necessarily have to be high?...........dabow

No, dabowhunter, the scope may sit an inch or more above the barrel, so the slug starts out low, and then rises up to the crosshairs at the distance the gun is sighted in for. Of course it doesn't really rise, it drops immediately, but the barrel is tilted upwards, shooting the slug up towards the cosshairs. Of course your scope would have to be mounted 6 inches above the barrel for the theory abovee to make sense, or be aiming at the bottom one inch of the deer's chest.
Here's my thoughts on this one.
A frontal shot at 30 yards with a shotgun is a piece of cake, I'd take it every time. Nothing wrong with that shot.
The idea that this deer is just "very strong" is ridiculous, no deer is "strong" enough to absorb a shotgun slug through the chest and live overnight, and then get up and run away. Just silly.
Either you hit brush, or just made a bad shot, but you hit the gut, or somewhere else outside the chest. Probably never know.
It happens to everybody, it sounds like you gave it an honest effort for a few days and looked pretty good. I wouldn't beat yourself up over it anymore, the only thing you'll find now is a carcass, the meat is certainly bad, you've lost the deer. If your curious what kind of rack you lost, by all means look some more, but maybe it's better you don't find it, ya know? Every time you see it you'll be reminded of the nice buck you lost. Anything you owe the animal is well past, the deer doesn't care at this point if you cut the rack off, or if the mice chew on it over the winter.

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Rack, I really feel yout pain! I thought about this thread Saturday evening after I took a shot at a six pointer! After I went to the spot I last saw him, I found only what appeared to be gut matter! I decided not to try to push him, because he ran into a really thick pine thicket! Whatever is not pine in there is briar! I went back to camp and got some warmer clothes and two flash lights, figuring to search until the batteries died on the first one , then use the second one to get out of the thicket with!
I searched and did not find anything in the thicket. So I figured I'd have to make a 2 hour drive home and return the next morning to search again.
Just as I was about to run out of flashlight, I found another small speck of mater. About 20 yards later, there he lay! As it turned out I made a pretty good lung shot, but he did not bleed a drop, just the matter ( I guess I may have clipped the intestines on this quartering shot! I had a really good ending and hope that you can get closure on your shot too! For a while I did not think that I'd ever find him, and if you saw this thicket he was in, you'd see that I was really fortunate to ever find him! Anyway good luck in your search! You have went a lot further in your search that a lots of other hunters would have!

I had the same problem this October

Sorry, I forgot the picture. I shot this buck this October. I shot it with a 100 grain Muzzy from 30 yards away quartered. I thought I missed because the buck walked away and the arrow was deep in the ground. I went to get my arrow an hour later and saw massive amounts of blood. I waited several hours before tracking and the blood trail went from a horror movie, to drops, to pin points. I marked my last spot with tape because it started to rain and there was no more blood. I found it two days later by walking in circles from where I last marked it. I was able to find it by smell and crows. I was glad to recover it , but it was chewed up bad and the meat was garbage. I had just nicked the lung and it had exited out the center of the chest. The deer was dead the day I hit it and was found only twenty yards from where I last marked blood. Needless to say it was too small for club rules and cost me a $100.00 fine but it was a nice buck anyway. It had gone onto another property and the landowner would only allow us to track does on his property (what an as#hole)but the second day after I shot it I snuck onto the land and recovered it. This thread made me think of it. I also jumped my buck while tracking it and thought it would drop.

Cybersniper

Rackassain, I know it seems like a lot of folks are in your case, and maybe I was among themwhen we hadn't heard anything for days. We were not there so all we can do is guess what may have happened. I am glad you have come back with explanantions and advising us that the search still continues. I have been VERY lucky over the years and have never lost one, I hope it never happens, but it could, and if it did I would feel sick just like you do now. Hang in there man, even if you don't find the deer I am sure you will become a better hunter from the lessons you have learned from this one.

Rack...I also want to apologize to you about seeming to come down hard on you about the situation. I'm VERY glad that your still looking. Not really for anything but peace of mind and to find out what happened.

Not to group you into this, but I just see and hear of sooo many deer that are gravely wounded because someone didn't take the time nor showed any self discipline on making a good shot, that I just get a little too fired up. Bad shots are going to happen...don't get me wrong. But the guys you hear of shooting at a deer that's running at Mach 8 over an open field and 5 guys are unloading on it....just down right p*sses me off!! Or a guy that says...."The only shot I had at him was while he was walking away. GRRRRRRRRRR "But he was HUGE, you should have seen him". I'm sure you know what I mean. If I had a hunting camp, you would be welcome to hunt it anytime. LOL

Merry Christmas!!