A Vermont man, who was hunting during Maine\’s muzzleloader season, went missing Monday, according to the Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Luckily, he was found alive by a snowmobiler Wednesday on Jackson Mountain near Madrid. The location was outside of the 5-mile search zone.
At least 26 game wardens, seven Forest Service rangers, three canine units and nine volunteers from the Maine Association for Search and Rescue had been conducting the search. Two aircraft and two helicopters — one from the Maine Forest Service and one from the Maine Army National Guard based in Bangor, took to the skies when weather permitted.
Steven Wright, 53, of Woodford, Vt., an experienced hunter, was picked up by the snowmobiler, Donald Eisenhaur, 68, of Madrid. He had set out Monday on a deer track near Tumbledown Mountain and Byron, during a snowstorm that dumped 15 inches of snow in the area.
Wright was airlifted late Wednesday afternoon to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston and was in stable condition. According to Lt. Patrick Dorian of the Maine Warden Service, the hunter endured an \”incredible story of survival.\” As darkness set in Monday night, Mr. Wright was lost and told game wardens that he decided to keep walking to stay warm. He fell into a water hole and was submerged up to his neck, got out and continued to walk.
Tired, his clothes freezing on him, Mr. Wright eventually climbed in a ditch and covered himself with spruce thicket in an attempt to stay warm. The search began on Tuesday morning after his two hunting companions reported him missing Monday night. He didn\’t turn up that day.
On Wednesday morning he stayed on a roadway, hoping that he\’d be found. In the middle of the afternoon, Wright became thirsty, left the road and walked into a gully to get a drink of water. At that time, Eisenhaur drove by on his snowmobile.
Wright heard the snowmobile engine and became upset. His only chance of survival just drove by. But Eisenhaur decided to retrace his trails and head home before dark.
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