I lost my first deer hit with a rifle this year. I figure I hit him through both lungs, but too far back. I never found any bowel or anything that even smelled like bowel. He was at extreme range for the bullet/cartridge I was using. I think expansion was minimal.
Judging from the color and amount of the blood I found, he was hurt bad and never should have gone as far as he did. I tracked him for over 600 yards until he tried to swim one of the bigger and faster flowing rivers in the state. I doubt he made it.
The only other animal I ever lost was a bow kill 30 years ago that got into the bayou type mouth of another major river in the state. I've never been able to track in two foot of water. I was simply too close to the swamp and didn't know it.
