HARRY KUCHLER
Obituaries
Eagle Valley Enterprise page 1 - November 5, 1948
Oak Creek Hunter Found Dead on Castle
BODY FOUND MONDAY NEAR OXFORD LAKELOST SINCE SATURDAY.
Harry Kuchler, 17-year-old Oak Creek boy was found ciead, shot through the fight arm and chest Monday afternoon, following a two day search on the north slope of Castle Peak country. The body was found by Prudential Trujillo, a sheepherder, as he worked his sheep, coming on the body near Oxford Lake. Coroner Paul Andre stated that he had probably been dead since Saturday. He was last seen that morning around 7 o’clock by his father and two brothers, C. F. Kuchler and Richard and Paul, as the four started out for the day’s hunting and separated. When he failed to return to camp, back of Milk creek Saturday night the family started an unfruitful seaifch. Sunday night they reported the disappearance to Sheriff W. M. Wilson and around 50 men were put on the search. The boy met death by a hunters’ stray builet in the same region where Mrs. George Schacdcr of Los Angeles spent a wintry night Thursday of last week, when she failed to find her way back to her hunting camp in the snow which fell in the high country that night. She turned up the following day at Burns, none the worse for her harrowing experience. The fact that she turned up unharmed was surprising to officials here participating in the search, as has been the custum during the past few hunting seasons, it seems to be the thing to do for a hunter to shoot a4 anything moving in the brush or in the distance, regardless of the fact that the man with the gun cannot discern whether the moving object is big game, a farmers livestock or a human being. The death of Harry Kuchler which was the first fatality of the hunting season in this area, occured just one day before the closing of the 1948 season. Perhaps it was a stray bullet—and maybe it was another case ol a careless hunter. It is time some definite and drastic step be taken to make hunting safe for the man who actually goes out into the woods for the sport of it -the man who knows well how to handle himself and a gun. This county should take the lead in some form of organization to bear pressure on the State Game Commission to revise their present method of conducting the wholesale slaughter of game and human life. The actual number of casualties occuring the past three weeks are probably much higher than any of us realize—the number should be obtained and be made public. The number of livestock killed by greenhorn hunters should also be made public. If there is anvway possible to search out the party who killed the young Oak Creek lad, it should be done. If the fact can be established that the death-dealing bullet was not a 'stray." the hunter should be charged with manslaughter—tiic must, be and end to the "greenhorn hunting—or the season must bf closed. The state commission must act this year, in some way, to prevent this useless sort of hunting—which has turned out to be a man hunt m Wie open field. The country where young Kuchler lost his life is not heavily wooded —and is one of the most open hunting grounds in this country -X David Davis of Eagle will receive two passes to the Eagle theater upon presenting this adv at the box office on or before Nov. Kl. Miss Fanny Gamble visited in Denver over Saturday night and Sunday with her brother. Loo, and ms family. She accompanied Melvin Eaton, who went on to Boulder to visit Mrs. Eaton who is attending a special course for county nursing there. y Mrs. Lillian Conway was a Glenwood caller Wednesday Among those from the Sheephorn nL U , ntr «/i nu Eaglc Wednesday were Dave McPhee and son Joe, Walter Forster and wife, Mrs. Hob Hostetler, Mark Curry Mrs. Horacek all pleased because of the election of Carl Forster to the position of county commissioner Tuesday. This is the first time in the history of the county that a citizen of that neck ot the woods has been elected to an office in the countv. Carl is a splendid citizen, and ns it had to , a Democrat elected,they could n°‘ nave done better. We think that Mr. Forster will make a good servant of the county. Mr, and Mrs. Moulton Chambers drove to Eagle Tuesday to cast their vote here While they are living in Grand Junction, where they own an apartment house, they maintain their home as Eagle. Glen Hubble left last Thursday fo r San Diego, Calif., where he will be with his family for a while, then on to Benito, Tex., where he will start his winter vegetable crops. He plans to return here early in the spring.
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Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 8 - November 2, 1948
