Why did he throw away the best part of the deer?

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Wildlife management - turtles and crawdads gotta eat, too.

I thought maybe because his bullet was in it and he didn't want to be linked to it, but then why not just dig it out?

So yeah, I dunno.

Weight factor alone was reason enough.... He had to trudge out of there, and quickly...

Nobody butchers a deer like that, it would be covered with hair. It would have just taken a second to skin it far enough to get the hind quarters and the back straps (which are considered the best part of the deer).

I thought it was something to do with the carrion birds circling overhead. They'd be attracted by the girl's corpse, so he left part of the deer behind so that anyone who came to investigate would see (and smell) that and think, "So that's what the birds are after." He threw the carcass in the water so it wouldn't be eaten quickly or dragged off by wild animals.