Hunter just disappears

Searchers were still looking for a missing hunter west of Camp Sherman near Round Lake on Monday, October 28.

Terry W. Carver, 40, went elk hunting with friend Royce D. Nelson, 30, on Friday morning, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. At about 3 p.m. the pair split up.

Nelson made it back to Carver's pickup, parked on a spur road about one-half mile north of Round Lake, later that evening. He spent the night keeping warm with a small Coleman camp stove. He said Carver never showed up.

On Saturday, Nelson walked out, caught a ride and arrived at the Camp Sherman Store shortly after 12 p.m. Mark and Toni Foster, members of the Camp Sherman Hasty Team, a rescue squad, happened to be at the store at the time.

By 2 p.m. a search party was organized and on their way to the site where Carver was supposedly last seen.

The Civil Air Patrol flew over the area later Saturday afternoon, but were unable to spot any sign of Carver. The Warm Springs Indian Reservation sent a tracking team in which spent Saturday night in the area.

On Sunday, 35 more people, including members of Deschutes County Search and Rescue, Corvallis Mountain Rescue, the Warm Springs Tracking Team, Jefferson County Search and Rescue and the Camp Sherman Hasty Team again took up the search.

They were joined by helicopters from the Oregon National Guard out of Portland, which flew for hours during the day and again at night, using infrared and night vision equipment.

Searchers coordinated their efforts using global positioning equipment both on the ground and in the air. This allowed teams to immediately and accurately investigate all possible leads.

No sign of Carver has been seen, although the advanced search methods have turned up a variety of wildlife, including elk and bear.

Searchers are frustrated. Conditions for finding the lost hunter have been excellent, with no new snow in the area since the time the hunter was reportedly lost.

Carver was wearing only a pair of Levis, a Levi jacket with a fleece collar, Sorrel boots and perhaps a baseball hat, according to Jefferson County. He had his gun, a pack of cigarettes and perhaps two lighters.