In Madison, Wis., the King of Quirks

What you do is take a sighted companion, who describes where the animal is, and you shoot it. With a laser, it's a lot easier for the sighted person to know when you've got your shot lined up right.

"Some companions just say, 'There's a deer to the right,' " says Barten. "But good companions can make it really exciting, with great descriptions of what's happening."

Barten also mounts antlers and makes stuff from them, like hat racks and toilet paper holders. He calls his Ladysmith shop Ralph's Rack Shack.

This month a referendum passed that would allow hunters to shoot stray cats. How can hunters identify which cats are fair game? "You know they're strays when they don't respond to pleasantries," says Feldman. The governor has said that if a bill passes the legislature, he'll veto it.

As we walk through the Capitol, Feldman tells me to look for fossils embedded in the walls. "Not former members, real ones." And right there, on the grand staircase, fourth step from the bottom, is a starfish fossil, estimated to be 400 million years old. Turns out that dozens of ancient ammonites are set into the massive stones used to build the Capitol.

Volunteers give tours hourly, but Feldman has arranged for us to meet Democratic Rep. Spencer Black. "He might be the last remaining liberal in the Wisconsin State House, and a really nice guy," Feldman says.

"Is he your representative?"

"Well, I thought he was and complained to him for years," answers Feldman. "Finally he found out what side of the street I live on and gave me the name of my real rep."

Black is in a closed room, fighting to open the hearings on a bill Feldman recognizes and calls a "pro-pollution bill." Black pops out long enough to tell us that the Capitol is a great place to see government in action.

"With the exception of the closed hearings," interjects Feldman, a middle-aged guy with dark, unruly hair who mentions that he used to be 5 foot 11 inches but is down a quarter-inch.

From outside the Capitol, we get a good look at the majestic statue atop the peak of the dome. It's the gold-plated figure of a woman with a "W" on her chest, an ear of corn behind each ear and a badger perched on her head.

By law, no structure can be taller than the Capitol, so the badger's butt is the highest point in Madison -- facts noted in the book "Wisconsin Curiosities," co-authored by Feldman.