I once shot a small doe 3 times, all to the chest at 25 yards with a 165 gr BT from a 30-06. I was sure the first round would have been fatal but she kept getting back up and was near the edge of a steep ravine that would have made recovery much more difficult.
Another time I shot a doe at less than 20 yards as she popped out of some brush onto a two track road. She hit the dirt on her side and didn't even twitch. I shucked in another round and turned back to the brush to see if there was a buck following. I heard a scuffling noise and looked back to the doe and she was gone! No blood, hair, nothing. I spent about an hour searching without any sign before giving it up. I'm pretty sure my shot was high and stunned her spinal cord temporarily. I've heard and read of many similar stories.
If I shoot a deer and it immediately collapses without any movement I now watch it like a hawk and approach it carefully with my rifle at the ready.
