So you shoot on from your tree stand.,,,

[luberhill]

30 yard shot, you see it hit. Deer runs off,, How long before you go look 

[Swamp_bucks]

Depends.  Hit location,deers reactions after the shot,weather,light.  Good rule is 30 mins.  But once you get to hit sight that can change from going right after it to having guts and liver and needing to wait 12 hrs. All else fails give it more time ig possible instead of less.

[G-Man]

If it doesnt fall in sight ,30 min ,if shot looked questionable 1hr then look at sign. The hair and blood will tell you how long after that. 

[BowmanMike]

Try to stay calm and quiet after the shot. Mark spots mentally that the deer travelled by that you can find from the ground. Listen for the deers direction of travel after you loose sight.

After 30 mins climb down quietly and check the hit site. Your arrow can give you a lot of clues as to where you hit,as will the hair. Smell your arrow to make sure you didnt hit guts. Dark blood generally means a liver hit. Bright blood with little bubbles is a lung hit.

On quartering shots you can get all three which makes it hard to decide what to do next. When in doubt back out and give the deer more time to expire. If you dont push the deer they will generally bed fairly close and die in their first bed.

For liver hits the rule of thumb is 4-6 hrs,gut shot over 12hrs.

[Hock3y24]

First off watch and listen, make notes of landmarks/ take photos marking them from your stand.  
A lighted Nock makes a big difference see where you hit and a fixed head means my arrow is almost always laying there after pass through. Make sure your broadheads are shaving sharp now as this helps also.
Good hits 30 mins track, liver hits 4-6 hours. I haven’t gut shot one yet thankfully but would wait along time, 12 hours or so.

None of those times are set in stone, weather and temperature can change them. As well as predators. 
 
Get help from a female or child, for some reason they pick up blood like it’s nothing. At least my wife and son do.

Edited September 18, 2020 by Hock3y24