This is a sport (we are NOT hunting to feed our families no matter what the perfect hunter stated above - beef from Kroger is much less expensive than venison) and in a SPORT some things happen that are not totally in our control.

I have lost a buck and a doe back when I first started deer hunting. I learned alot from both incidences. Both deer were lost when I did not wait long enough to recover them and jumped them as I was tracking them. Since that time, I have taken extra care to take extra time before I go after one (unless I see it down on the ground from my tree).

One thing to make you feel better - these deer are tough. I had a son get a complete pass through on an eight point one weekend last year. The shot was a little high and we found no blood trail. We looked for the buck that night and the next morning. Believe it or not, the next weekend, my other son shot the same deer and dropped him in his tracks. We found a clean complete pass through shot just above his shoulder but below his spine. That was the shot from last week.

Just keep at it and your recovery problems will become very rare. This is a great SPORT that takes time and experience to become proficient at. Even with that though, you never master it. But that is what makes it challenging and worthwhile to pursue.