Backyard recovery/favor leads to puzzle

[PooperScooper]

So I got a call from a friend who said they found a doe dead in their back yard last night. They needed it to go away. So I stopped by to check it out. It appeared to have been shot just behind the jaw with a shotgun slug. The deer was partially frozen, which I believe is not surprising given the temps we've had. We determined that it may be completely safe to process for the freezer, assuming it was hit the day before. BTW they are in town, this deer traveled quite a distance from hunting areas to get here.

When I went to field dress it I found that the skin on the belly on the side that was against the ground was green. I can find no sign of a shot to the gut. I just stopped right there. There is no good place to spill the guts of a gut shot deer in this tightly populated area with kids and dogs running around.

The hair pulled out from the area and it smells like sauerkraut.

What do you think? Was this deer gut shot too and I just can't find the hole? Or was it laying there longer than 24 hours and started to rot? Either way, this is not a freezer score for anyone. Which is sad, because the deer will go to waste. But I'm curious about the details of its death that can be discerned from the information we have.

I assume the shot was aimed at the head, or that the deer was running and they failed in their attempt to lead it. Interested in opinions on this.

The sad part is that I was headed to the hunting cabin this evening and cancelled plans because I thought I would be processing this deer.

[thphm]

A few years ago I shot a 4 pointer , then legal where I live, waited till the following morning to find it , 20 degrees that night, found it not far from were I shot it,gutted i and it stunk like hell, called the local ECON officer and he said this deer was shot a few days ago by someone else .We could not find any other exit holes then the one from mine, looks like some one was jacking with a 22 caliber. As you said Green flesh and hair pulled out when you touched it.

[ants]

Gangrene has set in. Its no good. 

[ants]

One time I shot a big buck, second to last day of the season. I was pumped because it had been a tough season and he was my first and only deer for the year. The thing was green on the inside and stunk to high heaven. Noticed that a little  hair was missing form one side of his rump as he appeared to have been hit by a car, sometime before I shot him. I cut off the rack and left him in the woods.

Damn shame.

[greensider]

sounds like it was hit by a car after being shot i skinned a road kill from in front of my job it had just been hit and the same green stuff was under the skin

[PooperScooper]

Greensider (appropriate name for this discussion), that's what I was thinking. It is a place where deer are often hit.