SHIRLEY, Maine — The Maine Warden Service offered some safety reminders Wednesday after two bird hunters got lost and spent an unplanned night in the woods.
Wardens were notified about two overdue hunters in the Shirley area, south of Moosehead Lake, about 5 p.m. Wednesday, Cpl. John MacDonald said Wednesday afternoon.
Carl Ponkala, 70, of Monson and Nicholas Erickson, 25, of Shirley had left Shirley in a Honda CRV about 4 p.m. Tuesday but had not returned home by the next morning, MacDonald said.
Wardens were told that the hunters may have traveled Clouse Allen Road in Shirley toward Bald Mountain, he said. Shortly after 7 a.m. Wednesday, their vehicle was spotted off Clouse Allen Road with no one around it.
While wardens were there, John Morrell, a Carrier Timberlands tractor-trailer driver, stopped and dropped off the two hunters, who he had found on the road.
With hunting season underway, MacDonald said hunters should tell someone where they are going and when they plan to return and notify the responsible person if plans change.
Hunters should carry a map of the area they are hunting in and use it along with a compass or GPS. They also should carry a survival kit that includes matches or a lighter, a survival blanket, high energy snacks and other items they may need, he said.
Hunters should not, however, rely on cellphone coverage as their emergency plan as there are many parts of Maine that have poor to no cellphone coverage. He recommended that they instead purchase a satellite communicator that can send and receive email and track their positions at the same time.