I learned quickly that when using the SMK that is it my opinion that the best choice is to take out shoulder bones when you shoot big game critters. I like breaking the shoulders on big game. Generally, they do not travel nearly as far as a double lung punched animal and in the case of the 300 gr SMK, the bone helps initiate more expansion as well.
I am not saying at all that a chest shot is not a good killing shot because that could not be farther from the trueth. All I am saying is that in areas with heavy cover I really prefer to give up a little shoulder meat to put an animal on its nose in a hurry.
The farther an animal travels past the first 100 yards from a hit, the higher the odds of loosing the animal are, even with a critically wounded animal.
I am not sure if you were holding for a shoulder hit or not but I can assure you that big 300 gr SMK out of your Edge will make a more authoritative impact on shoulders then it will on a soft chest impact. Dead is dead but in heavy cover that may not result in a recovered animal in every case.
I would also not get to carried away with your perception of this first hunt. S___ happens to all of us. I suspect your next outing may result in a totally different result.
Kirby Allen(50)