It's all about responsibility in the end. If you take a shot you are responsible for the outcome. Shooting axis with a small caliber rifle at long range is not responsible... It's just common sense. I think you learned your lesson though when you chased her through the woods to get the job done.....experience

If you made the same shot will a bigger caliber and better bullet things would've gone better and you definitely know that....common sense

If you have the gun/bullet to get the job done at the distance and have shot the range before and know your capable through experience then you can take the shot and know your ok. If you feel uneasy and unsure you just don't do it...it's just responsible to hunt that way.

This is also why I will not neck shoot a game animal, the target area is very small which makes the chance of missing your target point of impact that much greater when you start taking longer shots. Its just to little of a margin for error