[petey]

Sounds like a possible 1-lunger hit to me. They'll typically run around 150 yards (depending on terrain) and lay down. If you didn't take after the track immediatly you're ok...if you did and possibly jumped him, then he may be a bit harder to find.

#1 bad thing to do on a marginal shot is to take after them directly or even 30 minutes after the shot. Sometimes it's best to wait a couple hours if not let him go thru the night. I know it's an easy thing to say, and I only know it from experience. I've taken after deer directly after the shot and jumped him very close and turned an easy retreive into a hard retreive.

Case in point:
I recall a buck I shot once at 8 yards, quartering away from me. I placed the shot directly behind his shoulder, but because of the vertical angle and the quartering angle I only took out one lung. I watched him run 100 yards and just lay down. He layed there with his head up for almost an hour before finally bleeding out. Shot was perfect as far as I was concerned, but I couldn't believe it took him that long to expire.

If you get in on him then jump them, you just doubled or trippled the area you need to cover to find him.

Anyhow, there's no doubt he's dead (as long as it wasn't a high shoulder shot?) You should be able to find him if you didn't push him too much last night. If it was a high shoulder shot, what I refer to "No Man's Land" then you may be out of luck. Cheer up, it happens to all of us one time or another...I have faith you'll find him though if you're looking in the daylight. Good luck!