Small pieces of meat found; no blood, no hair.

[koja48]

I'll not quit hunting, however I may quit talking to foolish people. To the Op: master your chosen hunting method/methods; acknowledge your ability & hunt accordingly . . . ability will grow with experience; hunt within your constraints at the time; learn all you can about your quarry, learn to track, and don't give-up easily. Most of us have lost game for a variety of reasons . . . as I stated earlier, it happens. Learn from these and other experiences, enjoy, and may you have the opportunity to hunt for many years. Be ethical. I wish you well. Hang in there . . . and as advised, go look for that deer again, if feasible.

 

[Ty7940]

I would say it was a leg shot..all you can do is practice and focus on the future, not the past.

 

[gforce]

Sounds like you hit him back a ways. Usually alot of fat to cover the wound pretty quick, but does not always mean that you did not fatally wound him. A 20ga slug makes a nice hole. A word of advice, buddy, always trail them as long as you can and make every effort whether it is a doe to the largest buck. I've lost a couple deer over the years and know it sucks. I've also found deer that I thought I'd lost just from following things out. 100 yards wasn't enough, but that could be from lack of experience on your part. Just because they dont leave you much sign doesn't mean they aren't dead.
Also, deer will usually go lay down after being hit if they aren't being pressured or shot at again. Take the extra time and you might just find him or jump him for another shot. Hope this helps...

 

[lefteyedom]

Albatross,

"However, I don't see much of a difference between a clean kill or a slow kill as long as the meat isn't wasted"

You seem to be not the Albatross but the one that cried/

Water water everywhere all the boards did shrink.
water water everywhere not a drop to drink.

 

[Marlin95]

ya it sounds like you hit him back some