SAUK CITY — Conservation Warden John Buss received a phone call one day in 2001 that would set the course of his life for the next three years.

The person on the other end of the line, a confidential source, told Buss about an illegal hunting operation.

"It started out with some pretty good info," said Buss, of Sauk City, whose area of responsibility covers the southern half of Sauk County. "I was going to make some illegal deer cases with it. But I had no idea it was going to be this big."

Buss kept digging, and over the next three years he helped coordinate an investigation that involved about 50 Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources wardens as well as agents from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

The massive inquiry led to the convictions of 48 people in Iowa and Richland County circuit courts and six convictions for black bear related offenses in Ontario, Canada, said DNR spokesman Greg Matthews.

The investigation, called "Project Brother," produced cases against defendants from Alabama, California, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin, Matthews said.

Buss recently won praise for his work, receiving an award from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the "pivotal role" he played in coordinating agencies.

USFWS special agent Ed Spoon said Buss uncovered "an extensive guiding operation offering illegal whitetail and wild turkey hunts to out-of-state clients."

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.

EVANSVILLE — Young hunters who attend McKenna Middle School — and other seventh-graders who might glimpse a deer standing in a field — may never again look at the animals in the same way.

That’s because they recently viewed the dissection of a dead deer to culminate a deer/ecology unit in seventh-grade science at the Evansville middle school.

“It was exciting because I don’t really get to see the organs when I’m out deer hunting,” said seventh-grader Alex Shoemaker, who bagged a buck and a doe during this year’s hunting season.

But not everyone was captivated by the sight and smell of a deer being cut open.

“Two of my friends left. They thought it was disgusting,” said seventh-grader Emily Yoerger.

Overall, Hugh Curtis, retired director of outdoor education for the Wausau School Forest, a nature area run by the Wausau School District, had the attention of students during the deer necropsy.

Seventh-grade science teacher Bruce Curtis, Hugh Curtis’ son, has been scheduling the activity for about 10 years. He gives students an opportunity to pass if they think they’ll get queasy, but typically only a few students opt out each year.

He said it seems natural to study deer since they are a big part of the culture in Wisconsin, even for those who don’t hunt. He has been surprised by how little students know about the state’s official wild animal.

In addition, he figures it may be the only opportunity for many students to see organs similar to those of humans.

Some students wore coats because windows were open to reduce the smell from the recent road kill. But Bruce Curtis said the odor is part of the learning. He said that after five minutes, people get somewhat used to the smell, and when he asked his students if they found that true, most of them raised their hands in approval.

“It’s an ad lib project because when you open up that animal, you never know what you’re are going to find,” Hugh Curtis said in an interview.

Bruce Curtis said his deer/ecology unit includes discussion of animal rights and the views of groups ranging from the National Rifle Association to the National Wildlife Federation. Other teachers at McKenna get involved to create a whole day of related curriculum.