First Idaho Wolf Kill
September 7, 2009 by Tom Sorenson
Robert Millage with the first Idaho wolf killed in a wolf season in 80+ years
I was shocked to see Fellow blogger and Idaho photographer, Robert Millage’s, name gracing the front page of our local newspaper upon my return to civilization following my recent elk hunt. Robert is an Idaho boy like myself, but lives 5 hours away. So what is it that prompted his name to grace the pages of not just our newpaper, but as far reaching as being contacted by Sportsman’s Channel, Field & Stream, and NY Times? Robert was the first to connect on Idaho’s first wolf hunt in more than 80 years.
The wolf has created a major stir in the western states. Ranchers claiming they are killing livestock at alarming rates, hunters are up in arms that wolves are making the elk a relic of the past, and those trying to defend the wolf are claiming the packs are just doing what they’ve done for years before humans got involved. Management of the wolf was given back to the states this year, and Idaho was the first state to open a wolf season. Barring an overruling, Idaho will allow the killing of 220 wolves this year. But no one will get the distinction – for better or worse – of shooting the first as Robert. In speaking briefly by email with Robert, he informed me he’s gotten overwhelming support from fellow hunters, but the wolf defenders have left messages on his phone, sent nasty emails, etc.
It’s been said that the wolf is one of the most difficult animals to hunt because of their keen nose, but also because of their intellegence. They’re a predator that flat out knows how to survive. Robert called a pack in with coyote distress calls knowing that wolves will make short work of a coyote in their territory. This female led the pack and he shot her at 25 yards:
Because of their size and their preference to hunt in packs, wolves can wipe out game herds rather quickly.
Those teeth mean business.
Do you have a story to tell? If so, send us an email and be sure to attach pics if you have any.
I am so relieved that the hunt has actually opened without another injunction. I hope that other western states with wolf issues will stand up to the antis and begin to manage the problem that has come from the reintroduction of these wolves. It is the only way we will be able to maintain our big game herds and ensure hunting for future generations.
Congrats to Robert!
Thanks Tom, it has been an interesting few days to say the least…..I owe you some gun writing, am thinking wolf guns……….
Congratulations!! I’m sure that was an adrenaline filled hunt! My hats off to you for calling the pack in… and to shoot it at 25 yards! I’m sure that is the best way to hunt for them… if you have the nerve to do it! Some might wonder why you waited till it was 25 yards away… we’ve hunted for whitetail in an area not too far from you … and 25 yards is often the longest shot you will get because there’s so much old growth timber! I don’t know if I’d have the guts to do something like that!… I’m sure glad you did… the wolves have really been hard on the moose population in that region of Idaho. Thanks for doing your part to help!
Tom,
Excellent piece of journalism, keep up the good work on informing people of the “Real” story!
best, T. Michael
That guy must have nerves of steel. I can’t believe he shot her at 25yds. I think something would have shot out of me first.
Very cool, though.
Awesome Pictures.. Awesome Wolf!!!! So glad to see them being managed by sound scientific management!!!!!
Robert, You can hunt with me anytime!!!
Great article!
congratulations on a job well done. it is really too bad that this gov’t boondoggle had to take place. the elk herds are doomed even with a wolf season. the game dept is claiming a 12% survival rate for calves and we need 30% just to maintain. so few elk are surviving that it is only a matter of time until they are nearly extinct.
I dont see how people can blame the declining moose/elk/whatever herds on just wolves. Especially hunters. When wolves hunt they go for the weakest animal they can find because they know that’s the one they have the best chance of bringing down. When hunters go out they certainly dont look for the weakest one. They look for the biggest set of flipping antlers out there so they can go home and show it off. Well, that moose or elk with biggest antlers will also be the strongest one out there. So, I guess he wont be getting any and giving his “strong” genes to the next generation. The next generation is going to be weak because all of the wimpy guys with the one crappy antler got all of the action. And that’s not the wolves fault.
The “real” story, right. The opening of this wolf hunt is a travesty of American conservation history. It’s a shame it wasn’t enough for us to wipe them out the first time. I have no respect for anyone with a wolf-hunting license. It’s a double-standard hunters like to abide by: you claim to be predators in the natural order, but then devastate other predators who effectively keep the balance in their ecosystem. God forbid another predator should kill elk and deer — the very animals you claim are kept in balance by hunting. If this hypocrisy wasn’t so tragic, it would be ludicrous. You obviously haven’t been part of the scientific team following these wolf packs, the families, the pups, many of whom will be orphaned when members of their pack stray outside the safe bounds of Yellowstone Park. Of course, the social structure and well-being of animals outside of humans probably has no relevance for you. It’s sad beyond measure what we humans do in the course of our perceived hegemony over this planet.
[...] This article by: BaseCampLegends.com [...]
You are Killer! Total-killer. Geo-terrorist, and… and… idiot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BOB MILLAGE FOR PRESIDENT.
Couldn’t agree more with Figgis! Hopefully Bob will feel more like a man now that killing an animal with a weapon compensates for his lack of testosterone. Let’s put Bob in a forest with no weapons and see how well he stands up, and if he really has any balls. Maintaining the natural order my ass. Humans have been a threat to every other species for decades now, and the wolves have most certainly not. They are a part of the natural ecosystem and help maintain it, they just don’t fit into human interests. If you’re hunting to maintain the delicate ecosystem and prevent wolves hunting other species, then maybe we should begin by hunting humans instead since they pose the biggest threat to the environment. Besides we’re just about as populous as bloody rodents.
I find it quite entertaining that those who are posting these anti hunting comments stay hidden? Only one has a profile link.. that goes no where
If you feel so strongly about the wolf issue then stand in the open where all can see you, we do.. don’t hide behind the internet.
I work in wildlife rehab.. I am also a hunter~ I have my own opinions on wolf hunting~ but if I disagree with someone I have the “balls” so to say to look them in the eye and discuss things like a human being…Shuan.. I live in the wilds.. I spend many hours in the woods with and without a weapon.. and I stand up quite well.. how about you? Doesn’t take testosterone.. takes experience not just reading things in a book or the news paper. As well as knowing and acknowledging both sides of the issue not just the one you feel fits your agenda the best.
I am amazed at the ignorance spewed forth from the mouths of so called environmentalists. The problem with saying wolves only kill the weak is wolves kill anything weaker than themselves. Everything with a heartbeat is weaker than the wolf pack except the grizzly. Wolves do kill for fun, they often slay weaker beasts for the thrill of the chase and left unmanaged will destroy the very habitat they rule. We hunters are well aware of our role as fellow predators and unlike the wolf we manage our habitats and care about our impact. granted there are some hunters without honor and ethics, I assure you.. rarely will you hear a hunter say something like ..KILLHUMANS to get their point across. We as hunters and ethical, honorable human beings value life and the beauty of all things wild, through our management efforts the wild places still exist. Hawk
OH and shaun schon.. I have been thrust into the wilderness .. willingly.. for six months during a Montana winter and survived off the land.. so am well aware of the rigors of being at one with nature,I am a conservationist, hunter and naturalist.. Your ignorance and blatant disregard for fellow humans is the reason I believe that the wolf is in danger… They are eating themselves out of their own ecosystem, and must be managed through selective harvest before it is too late for their own survival.I would refrain from speaking up about this issue until you get your facts straight. hawk
Nobody appreciates the wildlife and wild places more than hunters do. The anti’s hide in obscurity and throw insults and hatred.
Hunters don’t hide from their heritage. We embrace our natural desire to hunt. After all, we’ve been doing it for thousands of years.
shaun schon, check out this web site. http://www.saveelk.com
We did a blog post on Robert Millage right after he harvested the first wolf this season. As a site that focuses on predator calling we were intrigued by his story as no one has been able to hunt the wolf for such a long time, we were curious about his calling tactics.
We received several negative comments on our blog after posting the story. I replied to each individual by the “name” they chose to use when submitting their comment. I did not post their comments on our blog.
These people that wish for the death or in some cases, more horrible events for hunters, have no spine, they hide behind the anonymity of the internet and feel safe spouting off their rhetoric when in fact they have no idea of which they speak.
Robert Millage, and other wolf hunters, are a disgrace.
Kill a wolf because it’s eating mooses is totally ridiculous, wolves are in way of extinction, and expose it on internet is “pueril”. Like old safaris in africa.
So your just a kind of looser.
Just a reminder – if you want to post comments contrary to the views expressed on this site, first of all, find a different site if you don’t like what’s here,Secondly, the first swear word you use will get your comment deleted rather quickly. Keep it clean. Have deleted several comments where people have gotten stupid with their words.
Dude, nice wolf!!!… a pretty good size too. Congratulations! Must’ve been an exciting hunt! Again, Congrats!