Lincoln Hunter Found Safe After Night In The Woods

A Lincoln man is safe and sound after getting lost while hunting and spending the night in the woods.

The Maine Warden Service reports that 69-year-old Ronald Freelove's son Keith reported him missing Friday evening when Ronald failed to return to their camp on the Kingsbury Road in Bradley. Ronald was supposed to meet up with his son by 4:00 Friday afternoon after going for a walk through the woods.

It was a challenging night in the woods for Mr. Freelove, starting with a lighter that failed to work, so he couldn't build a fire. He stayed mobile to help keep warm, but lost his hat which had a compass pinned to it. A second compass was lost after the lanyard it was attached to caught on a bush. The branch dragged the compass, a whistle, and a pair of gloves from Freelove's pocket. In addition, he used up all his ammo trying to signal for help throughout the night.

Freelove was located at around 12:30 on Saturday by Jake Letendre, who's with MESARD, and his K-9 Reese, about a quarter mile from where he started. He was checked out by medical personnel from Milford Rescue and an Old Town ambulance crew before going back to camp.

The Warden Service was assisted in the search by Maine Search and Rescue Dogs (MESARD), the Maine Association for Search and Rescue (MASAR), Milford Rescue, and Old Town Ambulance.