Idaho hunter bad-mouthed after wolf kill

LEWISTON, Idaho (AP)

The first hunter to report a wolf kill in Idaho says he's been flooded with nasty messages. Robert Millage of Kamiah said he's been called a wolf murderer, a fat redneck and other names in about 50 phone calls and hundreds of e-mails. "I have a thick skin and a good sense of humor," he told the Lewiston Tribune in a story published Thursday. "What am I going to do, yell back at them? I obeyed the law." He said he's asked law enforcement officials to keep an eye on his business and home, just in case. "People are loons," he said. "If they want to call up and have a discussion, I'm all about having a discussion. But they call me a fat redneck and a wolf killer and compare me to Michael Vick." Vick, a former Pro Bowl quarterback who was convicted in a dogfighti n g c a s e , re c e ived an 18-month prison term and r e c e n t l y Returned to the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles. The wolf hunting season began Tuesday in Idaho, just four months after the animals were removed from the federal endangered species list. Millage expects his real estate business to increase as a result of the publicity. "Maybe I'll lose two customers and gain a hundred out of it," he said. Idaho approved a hunting quota of 220 wolves about a quarter of its estimated 1,000 wolves. Montana approved the shooting of up to 75 wolves starting in mid-September. The animals remain under federal protection in Wyoming.