If it was me, the next thing I would do is to shoot my rifle at a target, and confirm it's still sighted in. If you find that the rifles good, I would continue the search.
One time I had a hunter call me for help in finding a deer he had knocked down. He had searched all morning and knew he had hit him good. I tracked him two hundred yards and found him curled up buy a old log like a fawn. There was no blood trail just tracks and a few disturbed leaves. He and his buddy had walked all around him all morning without seeing him.
Another time, another hunter called me on a deer he had knocked down. I made him show me the spot where the deer had fallen. I reached down and picked up a sliver of antler, showed it to him, and went home.
Good luck, hope you find him, around here I'd be looking for buzzards or ravens by now.