State wildlife officials say hunters as young as 10 will be allowed to participate in a youth turkey hunt this spring.

The state Department of Natural Resources says the move is part of the Mentored Hunting Program that went into effect last fall.

Under the program, kids between the ages of 10 and 15 are allowed to hunt even if they haven't completed hunter education. But they have to stay "within arms reach" of a qualified adult mentor.

A young hunter must also have a valid hunting license, turkey-harvest permit and stamp.

Only one firearm is permitted between the mentor and youth hunter.

Looking for a good horse? The Jefferson County Sheriff's Department can help.

The agency plans to auction off nine horses and two colts on Sunday, Jan. 24 at the county fair park. A department statement says the horses were confiscated in early December but does not elaborate. A message left at the department wasn't immediately returned.

Lisa Patefield is the executive director of the Humane Society of Jefferson County. She says the department seized the horses from a farmette because the owners weren't caring for them properly.

The sheriff's department says the owners also have been ordered to relinquish six cats. They're now at the Humane Society.

If people in Wisconsin are sleeping tight these days, they might have a dog named Max to thank.

The 22-pound beagle is the latest, and possibly most efficient, way of detecting bed bugs for Wil-Kil Pest Control. The tiny insects have made an unwelcome comeback in the past decade.

That means the phrase "don't let the bed bugs bite" is less of a children's rhyme and more of a potential liability issue for hotels, apartments and a possible problem in any situation where people move from place to place.

"Right now, hotel rooms and apartment complexes are taking apart rooms, spending a lot of manpower to try to find bed bugs," said Randy Allen, Wil-Kil's regional manager. "We can bring Max in and within minutes he can sweep through a room and find bed bugs or certify that a room is bed bug-free."

Wil-Kil, which is treating or looking for bed bugs on a daily basis, brought Max on board in October. The dog is based in Milwaukee, where his services cost $300 an hour. Outside the Milwaukee area, the company charges $400 an hour. Max is a busy dog, checking out hotels, apartments, universities, nursing homes and private homes.

In Madison, the Concourse Hotel uses Max monthly.

"We feel it's a very good investment on our part," said Nattika Wattanasuttiwong, director of rooms at the Concourse. "Max is definitely not cheap, but we can assure our guests that we have some sort of security that we get this checked. If Max doesn't find anything all year long, we're happy because we know."

While working, the beagle quickly swoops through a room, nosing his way by the beds, the television cabinets, the chairs and anyplace else the insects might be lurking. On one recent inspection, the only time he stopped was to pinpoint a test vial of the scent that was hidden to keep him alert during his work.