If there is NO DOUBT I missed I'll reload and feel like Crap. Otherwise Im Down!! (still feel like crap)
Let me give you a scenario where I arrowed two bucks over the course of two days. I shot a buck one afternoon. I pushed him too hard too fast. I had gutshot him straight down and his intestines plugged the exit wound. I lost all blood after 150 yards or so. So the next day I bring my bow along with me as I tracked him. As I knelt down and re-checked sign I heard a crunching and saw a buck jump over a small creek. I moved quickly behind a tree as he approached on the trot. He moved in fast as I drew. He stopped at only 5 yards from me broadside. I fired and hit him, hitting him real high. He bolted. I waited for a good while then proceeded. Then the thought hit me..."what the hell have I done?". Now I had two poorly hit bucks running in the same area, dropping blood and totally mixing up my tracking efforts. I only found one of those bucks. If I were ever placed in that situation again I would be very hesitant to ever shoot a second deer without knowing for sure that I had killed the first. But to answer the original question, if the day is right and the deer are moving I will reload and hunt. If I even think I touched the deer with the arrow I will get down and examine the evidence if the deer dictates that move. If the deer lingers and acts weird like he/she has been hit, I stay put and wait it out...possibly coming back the next morning to examine everything if I feel the deer has been hit.
First I B.) cuss and sit back down, then if another buck happens along and stands in the exact same spot and the exact same thing happens I E.) cuss, get down, go home and see what's wrong (Not that this has ever happened to me or anything... the two arrows were nearly touching one another after missing two bucks 5 minutes apart in identical scenarios back to back. The cause turned out to be that the new bulkier jacket I was wearing made me shoot 4" to the left, putting the arrow right in front of their brisket. A lesson I learned early on and have carried with me for the last 25 years; always shoot with the gear and clothing on that you're going to hunt in.)
F. Give deer time to do what-ever it is going to do to totally vacate the area. Get down and retrieve arrow making certain of complete miss. In disbelief, follow trail of deer until unable to do so. Get back up and try to hunt will reliving the scenerio a million times until dark!
I've missed a little 6pt 3 times in a row within 5 min and finally he ran off....I just about fell out of the tree from laughing. No excuse but a week before hunting I was shooting 65lbs and I wanted to switch to mechanicals and my shop told me that I HAD to shoot 70lbs for those and it costed me my first buck cuz I was shaking so bad from being overbowed at the time. I forgot to mention there were 4 does and 2 other bucks within 30yds of this buck LOL!
I'll let you know when I miss...... I have had a deflection before and I followed that by attempting a follow up shot- which I was able to make once, following the deflection....
