He suspected the animal had died after being shot, as he had seen it in apparently good health days before its untimely death.
"I saw him on Wednesday and he was good as gold ... happy as.''
Mr Maxwell said he believed the bull had been shot and killed as it stood uphill from the nearby Nevis Rd.
The Nevis Valley is a popular spot for hunters, he said.
"A lot of fellas from all round the joint come hunting in the valley.''
He suspected their best chance of finding who shot the bull was ``if someone's been talking about it in a pub,'' but believed Cromwell was too small a town for a local to have been the gunman.
"You wouldn't think a local would do something like that''.
Senior Constable Paddy Henderson, of Cromwell, said police were investigating but were unsure if the animal had been shot before or after death.
"That's the million-dollar question.''
The Otago Daily Times understands people would sometimes try to shoot the bloated carcasses of livestock from the road with the intention of "popping'' them.
Snr Const Henderson said the bull had been buried which prevented further forensic examination, but police inquiries would continue.
He also appealed for the owners of a white Ford Ranger ute, which had a dog box on the back and was "up the Nevis on Friday,'' to come forward and talk to Cromwell police.
"There may be a reasonable explanation.''
Cromwell police (03) 445-1999, Crimestoppers 0800-555-111.
george.block@odt.co.nz
