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Medford man sought in fatal hunting incident By DAMIAN MANN A 34-year-old White City man died of a single gunshot wound Sunday morning and sheriff's deputies have begun a search for a Medford man who was with him while the two were hunting. Donald Eugene Hauser was fatally shot in a wooded, mountainous area near Fredenberg Road on Bureau of Land Management property, according to sheriff's deputies. A search and rescue team was sent out to find Ryan Wilson, 40, who left the immediate area after the shooting, but was not found by early Sunday night. His vehicle and dog were left behind at the scene. At this point, the incident could either be accidental or could have involved criminal conduct, sheriff's officials say. They would not disclose where Hauser had received the bullet wound, nor whether he had died immediately from the shooting. Both Hauser and Wilson were part of a larger hunting party that had spread out on the side of a ridge, looking for elk. Steve Wilson of Medford spent Sunday night looking for his younger brother, combing the woods in the dark. He said Hauser and his brother had hunted together for many years and were considered close friends. "I went to school with him (Hauser)," he said. "He's part of the family." Wilson had also hunted with Hauser in the past, but was not part of this hunting party. He was in Klamath Falls when he received word of the shooting and had only received second- or third-hand news about the incident. Visibly shaken by the day's events, Wilson said, "All I can think is that he feels guilty, that he realizes what has happened. I hope he didn't do anything crazy." By guilty, Wilson was referring to the situation in general, and he doesn't think his brother would have shot Hauser. "He's never been in trouble before," Wilson said of his brother. "Right now I've just got to find him," he said. "I'm hoping he comes to me." Sgt. John Atkins said the party had hunted before and were all friends or acquaintances. Hauser was wearing camouflage gear when his body was found by investigators, Atkins said. His gun was also found at the scene, he said. Investigators still have not determined the firearm used in the incident. At this point in the investigation, sheriff's officials don't have any witnesses to the shooting incident. A missing person flyer is being distributed to all law enforcement agencies with a description of Wilson. He is described by sheriff's deputies as six feet tall, 170 pounds, brown eyes, brown hair and white complexion. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail dmann@mailtribune.com |
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