sounds like bull crap to me, I have many times HAD to wait till next day to gut a deer due to unable to find till 24+ hrs after shot
they bloat up YES some even funky smelling
BUT once guts came out
MOST smells went away too
never had to throw away MOST of the meat, but have tossed a little that maybe if gut shot had leaked onto, and that was maybe me just being over protective of things, as I butchered my own deer
I have helped my buddy butcher deer for 25+ yrs in his butcher shop
and had MANY come in that were NOT recovered, and some stuck to high heck!
and we were asked to still cut them up and hunters took AL meat home as is
there deer, there call
same price
we just made sure to NOT get the BAD ones near others GOOD one's
but just over night, and gutted, unless it was gut shot and some nasty stuff leaked and soaked all over hind quarters, and once guts out still smelled to high heck
I say it was all still good
that hide on them works BOTH way to cool and save things
40's isn't that hot
better to be colder but NOT hot for 24 hrs! IMO!
I think your wasting your time talking to the owner, NOTHING he can do at this point, if meat is GONE< he will stand by his workers and you have NO proof
call it a learning lesson and go else where next time!
better than getting worked up over this, damage is done and NO fixing it!
Just my 2 cents!