As is every shot I've ever made on game animals. While I generally aim for the same spot on deer every time I pull the trigger, angle, movement or distance generally makes that shot impact differently that anything previously. My aiming spot on deer is different not only from which angle is is taken, but what weapon I'm using. Because of the platforms I sometimes use, and regardless of what platform I use, I never expect a DRT. While they are a pleasant surprise, they do not always mean a perfect shot or exceptionally effective projectile. Hunting with recurve bows for many years, unless I hit the spine unintentionally, I expected to have to bloodtrail the animal. It was a given. DRTs were not the norm then than so many expect nowadays. I doubt very much if DRTs are the norm now, even with new equipment, new calibers and newer and more effective projectiles. What has become the norm tho, is the inability for many folks to recover an animal that does not drop within their line of sight(not just DRTs). This is where I think folks need to put more attention, planning and concern, is in the retrieval of shot animals. Over the years I cannot count on fingers and toes the amount of deer I have helped retrieve that the shooter perceived at either unfindable or that they had missed completely. I have personally watched folks shoot deer at 150 yards only to walk 100 yards in the direction they shot and then walk back to their stand thinking they had missed. Helping them find the blood at the spot they hit the animal is always the same......."I thought it was much closer than that!". Many times, because the animal shows no reaction to the shot, they think they missed. I've shot deer with the bow while they were feeding that only flinched a bit, looked around and then went back to feeding, only to drop a few seconds later from a double lung/heart shot.
Hunting shows and ammo makers claims have indoctrinated hunters, especially new hunters to the idea that animals are dead on the spot. Many times they are dead on the spot, but don't know it. If shoulders are not broke or the CNS not affected. they are going to do what comes naturally.....run, as far as they can. Another thing I have lost count of, is the amount of times I've heard hunters claim that they "double lunged" a deer with either a gun or bow and then claim there was bullet/broadhead failure that contributed to the animal not being recovered. Always wondered how they knew they double-lunged and animal they never found. How they knew for sure the bullet either didn't expand or expanded too much, when they never field dressed or butchered the animal they claimed they put a killing shot on. The only failure I see in most of those cases in the failure to be able to put a projectile where it really needs to be, or to be able to trail/track an animal once direct line of sight is lost.