I also had a similar issue with a doe I shot back in NH when I first switched to the powerbelts. She was about 50 yards away and I hit behind the shoulder and she still went another 40 yards but the blood trail didn't start where I hit her. I usually loaded 300 grain 45 cal xtps but I liked the easier loading with the powerbelts. Since that happened I switched to 245 grain powerbelt hollow points and haven't had an issue of a long tracking time. I might be moving to tn soon and I'm actually thinking of going to either the 295 or the 348 grain instead just for a bit more punch. I currently switched back to 2 50 grain pyrodex pellets from the 777 pellets since I didn't care for the increased fouling and my Encore actually prefers the regular pellets for accuracy since my groups shrunk due to the lack of fouling ring in the bore. My rifle still cleans up quite quickly and I don't mind the larger cloud with the older pellets. I would definately try a heavier bullet and also go to the hollow point since for the price of the aero tips you get a couple more hollow points. I've never used the 45 cal muzzleloaders but they're quite popular here in NY. As with all rifles you need to see what yours likes the most. Hope this helps

Scott