MARINETTE, Wis. (AP) -- A white man has pleaded not guilty to fatally shooting and stabbing a Hmong hunter in woods near Peshtigo in a slaying that has rekindled racial tension in northern Wisconsin.

28-year-old James Nicholas entered his plea today in Marinette Circuit Court.

His trial, which is set to last five days, is slated for October 1.

Nichols is accused of killing 30-year-old Cha Vang of Green Bay while both were squirrel hunting January 5.

Nichols also pleaded not guilty to hiding a corpse and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

He was charged as a habitual criminal because of his previous conviction for burglary.

Two years ago in northwest Wisconsin, a Hmong deer hunter was sentenced to life in prison for shooting and killing six white hunters in 2004.

Some Hmong have speculated that Nichols killed Vang in retaliation.

Wisconsin, Minnesota and California are home to the largest populations of Hmong, an ethnic minority that fled Laos after the Vietnam War.