A 25-year-old Massachusetts man was seriously injured when he hit a mogul on a trail near Rockwood this afternoon (Feb. 27, 2009).

Michael Sargent, 25, of Bedford, Mass., was traveling at an estimated 50 miles per hour on ITS 66 en route towards North East Carry and Kokadjo when he neared a narrow bridge that had two snow moguls near it, according to Maine Warden Service Game Warden Mike Favreau.

The accident occurred approximately 6 miles outside of Rockwood near Kineo at approximately 2 p.m. today. The Maine Warden Service was notified at 3:15 p.m.

The incident is under investigation. Speed was a factor, according to Warden Favreau.

Mr. Sargent hit one of the moguls, and his snowmobile traveled vertically into the air. Mr. Sargent fell off the sled and landed on his back. The snowmobile landed on its rear tail light near Mr. Sargent and broke apart into pieces, according to Warden Favreau.

Emergency responders were told that Mr. Sargent initially couldn’t move his legs. He was conscious and talking to his brother, Mark, his father, David, and other family members and friends who were snowmobiling with him.

Mr. Sargent suffered back and internal injuries, according to Warden Favreau. He was wearing a helmet.

Rockwood Rescue transported Mr. Sargent from the trail, and they were met by C.A. Dean Ambulance, which transported Mr. Sargent to Mayo Hospital in Dover-Foxcroft. LifeFlight was called to the hospital. Rain in the area may ground LifeFlight, and the intended plan is to transport Mr. Sargent to Eastern Maine Medical Hospital in Bangor tonight.

Emergency responders received three different calls for service from snowmobilers who came upon the accident and called for help once they were in an area with cell phone service, according to Warden Favreau. One report was that two people were badly hurt and laying on the trail. Another said a female was injured on the trail, and the third call was that a man was seriously hurt.

Five Game Wardens responded, heading out on the trail from locations where the incidents were said to be – in the Kokadjo area and in the Rockwood area. Ed and Shirley Raymond, who own Raymond’s Country Store in North East Carry, also went out on the trail and reported that the only incident they had come upon was the one involving Mr. Sargent.

“We had to err on the side of caution,” Warden Favreau said. “There were no other accidents.”

Game Wardens Troy Dauphinee, Eric Dauphinee, Jim Barbierz and Ray Miller, and Sgt. Scott Thrasher responded to the incident.

Jayne Winters, a board member of Maine Friends of Animals, was allowed to write a column that appeared in today’s Kennebec Journal. Her piece is in support of the Maine Legislature’s LD 560, a bill that would ban shooting animals on private land. In her piece she quotes only part of what I said in an article I wrote about the nonsense of trying to legislate one’s ethical ideals.

Here is how Winters quoted me.

In a recent blog entry, Tom Remington states, “It’s not about whether you approve or disapprove of high-fence hunting. This is about rights … your rights as a free American.” He compares legislators and anti-hunting groups to Nazis who are “bent on the destruction of our freedom.”

Here is what I actually wrote.

It’s not about whether you approve or disapprove of high-fence hunting. Do you want to be a part of the ethics Nazis? This is about rights…..your rights as a free American.

Referring to those who sponsor such legislation as “ethics Nazis” is a bit different than calling them just Nazis. Please don’t skew my words.

But the real issue here again is that people like Winters feel compelled to make laws that dictate to you and I in what manner we must to live, all based on their personal ideals not yours. In Winters’ column she brings out many good points, most of which I cannot argue with. Because she claims these things to be her moral high ground, does it then make sense to turn them into law?

Winters’ points were valid until she began to show her ignorance of hunting ranches. In an effort to legislate your ethics, she is forced to make claims that are not true and cannot be backed up.

Living in the wild does not typically include being fed quality hay and feed on a regular basis and accepting the presence of man. If you query “game ranches in Maine” on the Internet, you’ll come up with a variety of photos showing elk and bison behind fencing, munching on bales of hay.

I am told that there are somewhere between 30 and 50 ranches in Maine that raise deer, elk, red deer, bison etc.. Of those, 8 are set up to include the use of shooting an animal for harvest. I don’t think going to the Internet and looking at photos of elk and bison “munching on bales of hay” is much of a way to substantiate the need to put these hard working Maine people out of business. Perhaps Ms. Winters should consider actually visiting one of these facilities other than looking at photos on line.

I warned in my previous article not to be fooled by groups like Maine Friends of Animals and the sponsors of this bill when they tell you this is about ethical hunting and animal abuse and has nothing to do with property rights. It has everything to do with property rights. A person has a right to farm and raise livestock. They also have a right to decide by which means they will harvest that livestock.

The legislation is not about land-use rights. It is not the tip of the iceberg to ban all hunting. LD 560 is about preserving the tradition of real hunting in Maine. It is about protecting and preserving our native species. LD 560 is about reducing the unnecessary suffering of animals that often die an agonizing death for the sake of a trophy head for someone’s wall.

Much of Maine Friends of Animals has been about banning hunting and trapping and this appears just another step in that direction. It’s called incrementalism. Raising deer, elk and bison has nothing to do with the “tradition of real hunting in Maine”. Claiming not to be a hunter but having friends that are, gives no one standing to convey to others about the “tradition of real hunting in Maine”.

Also Winters needs to substantiate a statement that this bill is about protecting and preserving our native species. This makes no sense at all and can only be taken as a feeble attempt at instilling fear into Maine people that somehow this ranches are a threat to our wild and native species.

And stopping deer farms will have absolutely nothing to do with “reducing the unnecessary suffering of animals that often die an agonizing death”. As I have said a million times before, resorting to lies and misinformation, especially as a tool to frighten people, for the purpose of promoting personal agendas only exposes groups such as Maine Friends of Animals for what they really are.

Maine people need to decide for themselves but please base that information on facts. If you’ve never visited a farm that raises deer, elk or bison, I encourage you to do that. Meet the people behind the operation that a small handful of people want to run out of business. And make sure you visit at least one farm that allows hunting, or shooting, or killing, or harvesting….whatever you want to call it, I have no problem with that.

This is completely about rights and don’t let anyone try to convince you otherwise. Remember, if you think you are qualified to dictate to others what their ethical standards will be, the day isn’t too far away when it will come home to roost.

Tom Remington

A New Hampshire man reported missing by a friend after he failed to return to her Brownville home as planned on Sunday called his friend late this afternoon, February 24, 2009, to say he was OK and on his way back to her house.

Kevin O’Neal, 44, of Seabrook, N.H., had told his friend on Saturday, Feb. 21, that he would be snowmobiling from Pittston Farm via Kokadjo to Millinocket to meet friends there, and that he would be back in Brownville on Sunday, according to MWS Lt. Pat Dorian.

The Maine Warden Service received a missing persons report at 10:15 a.m. today, and was informed that Mr. O’Neal was last seen at Pittston Farm between noon and 2 p.m. Saturday.

Mr. O’Neal left his vehicle and trailer at a friend’s house in Brownville, and set out snowmobiling on a bright light blue older model 800 Polaris snowmobile on Saturday morning.

Upon receiving the emergency call, the Maine Warden Service initiated a massive search from Mr. O’Neal on Monday morning. A MWS pilot flew for more than three hours checking snowmobile trails from Pittston Farm to Kokadjo, from Kokadjo to Millinocket, and from Brownville to Pittston Farm. At least 10 Game Wardens searched main snowmobile trails, many that had not been broken open yet since Sunday/Monday’s snowstorm. Snow in many locations still is four to five feet deep.

The friend notified the Maine Warden Service late this afternoon that Mr. O’Neal had called from Big Lake Equipment, a snowmobile repair shop in Greenville, and was en route back to Brownville. She told the Maine Warden Service that Mr. O’Neal had been snowmobiling the last few days and may have stayed with friends along the way, according to Lt. Dorian.

MWS Game Wardens were en route to speak to Mr. O’Neal this evening. The incident remains under investigation.

Posted by Tom Remington

A 35-year-old Westport Island man was able to use his cell phone to call for help after falling through thin ice on his snowmobile this afternoon, Feb. 24, 2009.

Roger Mackbach, 35, of Westport Island, was alone when he was driving his snowmobile on Stony Brook in Pittston at approximately 4:15 p.m. today. Mr. Mackbach came off of his seld when it broke through thin ice in approximately four feet of water, according to MWS game Warden Doug Kulis.

Mr. Mackbach, who has one arm, was able to stand in the water and used his cell phone to call for help. He was in the water for approximately 35 minutes before he was rescued by Gardiner Rescue.

Mr. Mackbach suffered mild hypothermia and was transported to Maine General Hospital.

Posted by Tom Remington

A 68-year-old Lily Bay man died today (Feb. 24, 2009) from injuries he suffered in a snowmobile incident on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009.

Paul Tibbetts, 68, of Lily Bay, was snowmobiling with his five nephews on a groomed trail four miles from Kokadjo, at approximately 1:30 p.m. Sunday when he missed a turn on the trail and struck a snow bank located just off the trail, according to MWS Lt. Pat Dorian.

Mr. Tibbetts was thrown over the front of his snowmobile and landed on his back. He was wearing a helmet. His nephews performed first aid and transported their uncle to C.A. Dean Memorial Hospital in Greenville. He was treated there and transferred to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.

The Maine Warden Service was contacted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner at 1:30 p.m. today requesting a report on this incident. According to Lt. Dorian, this was the first notification of the incident received by the Maine Warden Service.

The incident is under investigation. Mr. Tibbett’s death is the sixth snowmobile-related fatality this season.

Posted by Tom Remington

AUGUSTA – The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife now is accepting Moose Lottery Permit Applications online at www.mefishwildlife.com.

This year, as a result of a need to reduce spending, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife will no longer be printing and mailing paper applications for the Moose Lottery.

“Everyone is encouraged to help the Department in its efforts to save money by applying for the 2009 Moose Lottery by using the online application process,” said Commissioner Roland “Danny” Martin. “The online application process is quick and easy. Plus, applicants will get an instant confirmation of their entry into the lottery.”

Because of the conversion to an online application process, IF&W is extending the deadline for applications by six weeks. This year’s online moose lottery application deadline is 11:59 p.m. on May 15.

Tips on how to apply:

If an applicant does not have access to a computer, IF&W offers the following suggestions:

· Use a computer at work during lunch or a break;

· Use a computer at a local library or an Internet café;

· Ask a friend or relative with a computer for help.

If an applicant still is unable to apply for the moose lottery online, the Department suggests:

· Printing out a paper application from IF&W’s website at www.mefishwildlife.com, fill it out, and mail it with your payment to the Department;

· Coming to IF&W’s main office to fill out a paper application. The address is 284 State Street in Augusta;

· Sending a stamped self-addressed envelope to IF&W at the address below. Department personnel will mail a paper application that can be filled out and mailed with your payment to IF&W. The address is:

Moose Permit Application Request

Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife

41 SHS, 284 State St.

Augusta, ME 04333-0041

Completed paper moose lottery applications must be postmarked by April 1 or delivered to IF&W’s Augusta office by 5 p.m. on April 1.

IF&W and its licensing partner, InforMe, have made it easier to enter the 2009 Moose Lottery online.

Here’s how the online process works:

· For an application, visit www.mefishwildlife.com and click on “2009 Moose Permit Lottery.”

· If an applicant applied for a moose permit last year, all of his/her information is pre-filled into this year’s online application. To start, an applicant must type in his/her first name, last name and date of birth as you printed it on last year’s application. The system will look up the applicant’s information. Applicants are asked to review their personal data and make any necessary changes. It’s easy!

· If an applicant fills out an application this year – and happens to move or change his/her phone number before the application deadline – the applicant can go online and edit the previously submitted moose permit application.

· Once a person has filled out an application, he/she will be able to print out a confirmation page. Also, a confirmation will be e-mailed to the applicant. This way the individual has a printed record of the day/time of the application as well as all of the information he/she provided to us.

Who is eligible to apply:

· A person may only submit one application for the moose lottery per year. If it is found that an applicant has applied more than one time in a year, that applicant will be disqualified.

· You are eligible to obtain a Maine Big Game Hunting License or will be eligible to obtain a Maine Big Game Hunting License by the opening day of the Moose hunting season. Please note: Although a junior hunting license can be pre-issued before the holder is 10 years old, be advised that the license and permit cannot be used until the youngster is 10 years old.

· You did not obtain a permit in 2007 or 2008 by lottery drawing.

Posted by Tom Remington

“As I was swimming cross Turtle Creek, I felt those snappers all round my feet.”

Perched on part of a sunken log, the turtle, with hind legs stretched behind, appears ready for take off…..or maybe he’s coming in for a “Sully” landing.

Milt Inman

Two Glenburn men who were returning to Nicatous Lodge near Burlington to retrieve a cell phone they had left there became stranded on a snowmobile trail during the snowstorm last night (Feb. 22, 2009) and had to be rescued by the Maine Warden Service.

Game Warden Bruce Loring received a call at 8:45 p.m. Sunday that two men driving a Toyota pickup truck were stuck in the snow on a snowmobile trail on 25000 Road in T34. The 25000 Road, off Stud Mill Road, is partly plowed in the winter and then becomes a snowmobile trail.

The rescue took approximately four hours because of the winter storm that was underway and the location where the men eventually were found. Warden Loring said the snow was falling heavily and visibility was zero, and the trail conditions were treacherous.

“The wind was driving and the snow was coming down in a steady sheet,” according to Warden Loring. “I had to stop to make sure that I was still on the trail several times, and I drove off it several more times. The only way I could navigate is with my GPS unit that I mounted on my sled.”

According to Warden Loring, Steve Goodell, 34, and Mike Noyes, 26, said they thought the quickest route to the lodge would be via the 25000 Road. But that is not a passable road during winter months. The men told Warden Loring that at one point they were stuck in the snow for two hours, but that they were able to dig out the truck and continue. They also said there was no place for them to turn around the vehicle and head back to the Stud Mill Road.

Warden Loring reached the men via snowmobile. The men were located in the truck, which belongs to Mr. Goodell, approximately 10 miles down the road near Deer Lake. Each was wearing a sweatshirt, pants and shoes, but they did not have the proper attire for winter weather conditions. They also had a dog with them.

Warden Loring said that by the time he located the men, Mr. Goodell’s truck was running but almost out of gas. The tank would have been empty in a matter of minutes, according to Warden Loring. Also, the battery on the cell phone they had with them had died.

Warden Loring gave the men extra coats, gloves and gear he had brought with him. Also, he filled the truck with six gallons of gas he carried with him on his sled. One man and the dog were brought out of the woods on Warden Loring’s snowmobile to the warden’s truck while the other man stayed warm inside the Toyota truck. Then Warden Loring picked up the other man. Both men were given a ride to Brewer.

Mr. Goodell’s truck still is on the trail. Mr. Goodell was cited for operating a motor vehicle on a snowmobile trail.

Posted by Tom Remington

AUGUSTA – A Wilton man has set a new state white perch record, eclipsing the previous record-setting white perch caught in December 2008.

Chris Bubier of Wilton caught a 3.13-pound (or 3 pounds, 2 ounces), 17-1/4-long white perch on Jan. 24 at Parker Pond in Jay. The pond also is known as Mirror Lake or Little Parker Pond.

Mr. Bubier had the white perch weighed on certified scales at Rick’s Market in Wilton. Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Fisheries Biologist Dave Boucher confirmed the record-setting weight.

The previous record was set by Jeff Paquette of Freedom, who caught a 3.02-pound white perch (or 3 pounds, 1/3 ounce) at 7:15 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 19, 2008, at Ellis Pond in Brooks. Mr. Paquette’s fish was weighed on certified scales at 8:30 a.m. by Paul Flynn, the owner of Freedom General Store, and was witnessed by three people.

According to Biologist Boucher, it’s unusual for two record-setting fish to be caught in such a short period of time.

“When Chris caught the fish, he didn’t think much about it,” Boucher said. “But when he read about the record he said that he thought his fish would beat it and decided to call me and check. It did.”

IF&W and the Maine Sportsman newspaper, which is edited by avid outdoorsman and TV personality Harry Vanderweide, jointly announce new records and the publication maintains the record book.
The Maine Sportsman sponsors “The One That Didn’t Get Away Club,” which it boasts as “an association of fresh water anglers who have landed a big one in Maine.” Anglers who have caught what they believe may be the biggest of any fish species during a calendar year may fill out an application and be entered into a contest. There is a $5 application fee and winners receive a patch.

For contest rules and an application form, visit www.mainesportsman.com, scroll down and click on “applications.”

Posted by Tom Remington

Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife now publishes their “Insider” magazine in pdf format. The report comes complete with color photos and tons of stories and information about what’s going on in Maine.
Click this link to go the February 2009 Edition of The Insider.

Tom Remington

AUGUSTA – The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife continues to test white-tailed deer for Chronic Wasting Disease, an untreatable disease that causes irreversible brain damage that ultimately leads to death in affected animals.

IF&W wildlife biologists recently received test results from 791 white-tailed deer, mostly from the 2008 harvest, as well as one moose euthanized by the Maine Warden Service. All samples were negative.

“Keeping Chronic Wasting Disease out of Maine is critical to the health and productivity of our deer and moose herds,” said Wildlife Biologist Lee Kantar, whose specializes in deer and moose. “Chronic Wasting Disease has been found in many states and Canadian provinces, and is as close by as New York.”

If it emerges in Maine, CWD could reduce Maine’s deer population by lowering adult survival. Monitoring and control of CWD is extremely costly and would divert already scarce funding and staff resources away from other much-needed programs.

The threat of Chronic Wasting Disease entering Maine is real, and the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has been vigilant about stopping that from happening by warning hunters about the risks and passing new regulations.

In 2008, two whole white-tailed deer carcasses, killed out-of-state, were brought into Maine illegally, according to Kantar. “Fortunately these deer tested negative for CWD,” Kantar said. “Since no state or province can claim to be free of CWD, it is critical to prevent this scenario. It also is why Maine has a tough law making it illegal for hunters who hunt or kill a deer, elk, moose or caribou in another state or province to transport any carcass parts that pose a risk of containing CWD prions into Maine.”

Hunters may return to Maine only with boned-out meet, hardened antlers (with or without skull caps), hides without the head portion, and finished taxidermy mounts. If still attached, skull caps must be cleaned and free of brain and other tissues. We ask that all sportsmen and women adhere to this and inform others about the importance of this rule.

It is legal for individuals to transport cervid carcasses or parts through the state of Maine if they are destined for other states, provinces, and countries. Transportation is to occur without undue delay and must use the most reasonably direct route through Maine to the final destination. Cervid carcasses or parts must be transported in a manner that is both leak-proof and that prevents their exposure to the environment.

If a hunter plans to hunt deer, moose, elk or caribou in a state or province known or suspected to harbor CWD, there are some commonsense precautions he/she should take to avoid handling, transporting or consuming potential CWD-infected specimens. For more information on these precautions or CWD, visit the IF&W website at www.mefishwildlife.com.

Chronic Wasting Disease is one of a group of diseases known as Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs). Other TSEs include Scrapie in sheep, Mad Cow in cattle, and Creuzfeldt Jacob Disease in humans.

Chronic Wasting Disease is known to occur in mule deer, elk, and white-tailed deer. Other cervids such as red deer, fallow deer and sika deer, as well as moose and caribou, also may be susceptible. CWD is thought to be caused by an infectious protein called a prion that upon entering the body causes the host’s normal proteins to take on a diseased form. These prions accumulate in the brain and spinal cords, as well as lymph nodes, spleen, eye tissues, bone marrow, saliva, feces and urine in diseased deer.

Posted by Tom Remington

Two ice fishermen moving a shack from one lake to another became lost in a snowstorm, drove onto thin ice and sank into Webb Lake near Weld at approximately 10 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2009.

Craig Coulombe and Willfred Gagne, both of Farmington, were pulling the shack on a trailer from Embden Pond to Webb Lake.

Coulombe, who was driving his 1999 Dodge 1500, was traveling on the north end of Webb Lake to the Dummers Beach area, where he dropped off the shack.

When leaving, the men became disoriented by the snowstorm and told Game Warden Kris MacCabe that they believed they were driving northbound when in fact they were heading south.

Warden MacCabe said the men drove the entire length of the lake before going into thin ice and open water at the narrow part of the lake by Webb River.

Wardens MacCabe and Josh Smith responded to the ice anglers’ call for help. Neither fisherman was hurt.

Today, a tow-truck operator was attempting to get the truck and trailer out of the lake. Breaking ice was delaying the process.

Tom Remington