The Maine Warden Service on Tuesday blamed poor decision making and a lack of planning by a group of hunters for their getting stuck in a New Gloucester bog Monday evening. They were later rescued.
Cpl. John MacDonald, spokesman for the warden service, said in an email that wardens interviewed three men in their 20s and one young woman about how they got stranded in the bog off Route 237.
“They stated they had been hunting earlier that day and were tracking a wounded deer until after dark in a small swamp off Route 237 in New Gloucester,” MacDonald said. “One of the young men was not cooperative with game wardens during interviews.”
Using cellphone coordinates, New Gloucester firefighters and paramedics, with support from wardens, were able to locate the hunters and lead them out of the bog to safety.
Capt. Scott Doyle of the New Gloucester Fire and Rescue Department said the hunters were “cold and wet up to their hips” when they were rescued. But all of them refused medical treatment
“Their combined poor decision making created an unnecessary response by emergency personnel based on their lack of planning and unpreparedness,” MacDonald said. “Fortunately, the young woman involved, who showed signs of hypothermia, made her way out with the others before things became more urgent for her.”
The call for help was received around 6:30 p.m. Monday. The names and exact ages of the hunters have not been released.
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