Id say the way he is dressed...Road hunter

Is that frozen blood on the front of mouth? A fresh kill would still be warm and dripping? One front leg looks stiff. It is hard to get a close look at the eyes but that would be a giveaway.

Also no fresh blood on the tailgate where it would have been loaded in !

That's actually his tongue by his mouth and his eyes had turned dull grey and indented.

If his eyes are dull and sunken he has been dead a while.
This story does not match up but you have to be very careful with deer stories. A lot of good hunters are unjustly accused of pouching from jealous people. I have read several stories where rumors are started about honest hunters . Some people think that people that consistently score on good bucks are taking then illegally.

I agree with you about stories. Most of the time they are just that. I'm not going to say this deer was poached or any activity was done illegally. I just don't buy his story. Here's why. I have a friend that went to school with this kid so he is my first hand source. The kid lives across the road from our property where I do alot of my hunting. This kid has a reputation for running his mouth about how he and his cousin go road hunting and basically shoot anything they see. They brag about sneaking over onto our property and shooting 6 or 7 toms during Turkey season. I've caught him on our property twice. Other land owners in the area have same problem with them. The game warden and sheriff have been informed of what's going on and they say they will keep an eye on them. So from his reputation I would never consider him an honest hunter or even a hunter as far as that goes.
So with all that said, That's why I have suspicions about this particular buck. The plot thickens. I'll fill you in on the story leading up to this incident in a moment.
I am jealous about not taking this buck, just not jealous of the person that took it. I would never be jealous of someone putting in their time to hunt the right way and taking a great buck. In awe but never jealous. I've taken my share of good bucks and am always glad to see other guys hunt hard to get theirs

I see absolutely nothing in that photo that can determine cause,manner or time of death.
Tell him to plead Not Guilty and keep his mouth shut.

Well, I'd say that unless the kid took the time to take his boots off, he was out hunting in the snow in sneakers. Furthermore, jeans aren't exactly ideal for hunting, either.

Impossible to tell if rigor mortis has set in...you think he spotlighted it the night before?

His seems to have a knack of hunting in the snow without getting wet and gutting a deer without getting any blood on anything at all.

Hi Red, no I did not mean you when I was talking about jelous people. I was just talking about hunting stories in general. It sounds like this kid has a history . Once someone is caught once it is hard to believe them ever again.