WESPORT ISLAND  — The Maine Warden Service says a hunter who got lost on Westport Island was severely hypothermic by the time he was found.

Officials say the search began after dark Monday when 58-year-old Donald Merrill of Woolwich was reported late.

Wardens followed his tracks over wet, uneven terrain, and became alarmed when it became clear from his tracks that Merrill had been crawling.

He was found at 9:30 p.m. and then transported to Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick by Westport Island Fire and Rescue. According to officials, Merrill had experienced recent health issues and was in a very hypothermic condition when he was found.

On Wednesday, a Mid Coast Hospital official confirmed that Merrill was still at the hospital and was in fair condition.

“When you’re wet … and then the temperature drops, you’re susceptible to hypothermia, and once you get there it’s nearly impossible to reverse it unless you get into a warm place,” said David Trahan, executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine. “That’s a really dangerous situation…every sportsman or woman has to think about that when they enter the woods.”

Trahan added that temperature variations in Maine can leave hunters unprepared for cold weather if they don’t plan ahead.

“Because of the wild fluctuations in our weather now, it can go from 50 degrees to — I think tomorrow and the next day it’s going to be seven degrees. How you dress is very very important when you have these wild fluctuations in temperature,” said Trahan.

Merrill’s incident follows other hunting-related accidents in recent days. On Saturday, a Sabbatus man was shot in the hip in Topsham after his girlfriend slipped on ice and her firearm discharged. He was taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland and was reported to be in fair condition.

Then on Monday, a 57-year-old woman broke her leg after falling from a tree while climbing to her tree stand while hunting in North Yarmouth. Emergency personnel were able to reach her quickly and she was transported to the hospital.

Trahan said hunters in Maine are required to take a hunter safety course, which includes information on preventing hypothermia and safety rules for handling firearms to prevent accidents. He added that the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine is working to include tree stand safety in the mandatory course.

The Associated Press and Times Record reporter Nathan Strout contributed to this report.

The Times Record Sustaining Sponsor
We believe a community must be informed to thrive. bowdoin.edu