A Very Important Question

Warning: this one is a little gross and involves dead animal remains.

At the end of August, when I was on my way to Farmington, I stayed the at one of the Ozark Trail trailheads in the Mark Twain National Forest. In the amongst the trees, I noticed the remains of a deer. There was a rib cage, a skull, and a few other bones. I wasn't really creeped out until I saw the second skull. I shook my head, chalked it up to redneck Missouri, and forgot about it.

Then, staying in the Arapaho National Forest in Colorado, I found the carcass of what I believe to be a mule deer near my parking area. It's head and limbs were missing, and its entrails gone, but there was enough flesh left to give the magpies a healthy breakfast the next morning. Additionally, there was the spinal column of some large animal not too far away.

My question: Is this a regular thing? Given the number of bodies and proximity to the road, I assume this is the result of hunters dumping their kills. Is this the case? Can any of you offer any insight?