A smashed femur indicated it had probably been hit by a vehicle, Mr Studholme, who is also the Southern Canterbury A&P Association president, said.
The animal's ear tags were removed, though one was found nearby.
He said the circumstances of the calf's death were odd. It was still not clear whether someone had hit the animal first and then decided to shoot it, or if people were hunting, mistook the calf for a prey animal and then realised what they had done.
"It's very unusual and cruel for a start. It was a very cruel way for the animal to die. If there was some sort of accident involved they should have notified someone. I suspect it wasn't an accident."
Otago SPCA inspector Sophia Tinirau, of Dunedin, said the SPCA had not been told about the incident yesterday that she was aware of, but joined Sergeant Kevin Reynolds, from Waimate, in urging the public to come forward with any information.
Under the Animal Welfare Act 1999 a person found guilty of shooting an animal could face a fine of up to $100,000 or five years in prison, she said.
