Sorry, I did misread your post and I apoligise for that, and hope I was polite in my answer to you, I thought I was, after all these are only conversations in print, but the printed word has no emotion and sometimes comes across poorly.
As for messy, gutting an animal is messy, but I have done it so many times it does not bother me one way or the other to clean one, even gut shot. I do like to get them washed out with either water or snow.
rest assured they are normally dead by the time you get to them and if not a second shot is quick to end it. I have been told by veternerians that animals flush with adrenaline and pain levels get quit low. I was curious about this as I have observed Lions eating buffalo that were still alive and the buffalo were rather calm about the whole thing. Also I have shot moose and had them continue to graze!! so I inquired.
In many instances mortally wounded animals continue to live in seemingly no particular discomfort, some fight you and others run off and get in the herd and continue their life cycle of eating, cud chewing, and sleeping.
For what is worth.
