"I found when I gutted it, I didn't actually have to fire that 2nd shot".
I have found that if its still on its feet, you have a chance of losing it. I lost one, that was shot in the chest, slid down hill for 30 yards, into the timber. Just prior to entering the timber It attempted to get to its feet, , and I never saw it again. I did not have a second shot, but I truly wish I had.
Quite often when an animal is hit and just stands there, it's going into shock. That's caused by a very rapid drop in blood pressure. It's dead on it's feet but it acts like nothing has happened. You don't know if you hit or missed it entirely so the best thing to do is play your bets and shoot again.
