YouTube & Fair Use

Gee, what's the big deal, it was on the Internet so it's gotta be free to download right?

Anybody who's been around the Wild Wild Web very long has been to YouTube to watch a video or two. Many of the most watched videos are filmed by the Average Joe or Jane, who then dub in a music track from a well known band. Word spreads of their outstanding production and then one day they get the dreaded "Cease and desist" letter. Shortly thereafter their video is unceremoniously taken down. Who's right? "Why can't we use music in our videos?" is the cry heard round the Internet jungle.

To wit,


The copyright laws are an morass of lawyer mumbo jumbo but most folks try and run with the "Fair use" exception that allows certain uses of copyrighted material. Recently a court case was filed that may shed some light on this using copyrighted music on video issue. Los Angeles Times Article. A woman in PA is suing Universal Music Group after they had YouTube pull her video off because she had used some of Prince's music on a short video of her kid dancing around. The woman is claiming "Fair Use" for a defense in her case. Gonna be interesting the precedent this case will set.

Where do you stand? Should an artist's work product be protected under the copyright laws even if it's for personal use? Or for commentary or parody? Should this new generation, born with a mouse in their hand, be held to the same standards as us older folks were or do they get new rules to live by in the switched on computer age?

Time will certainly tell.

Advice For The Lovelorn

Brace yourself, this amazing find could alter the universe.

While working in our booth at Bass Pro the past 2 weekends I've discovered a guaranteed call for women. I've always used my Primos Terminator Elk Tube Call in the mountains while chasing bull elk, but elk are not the only animal susceptible to this call.

We were on the 2nd floor and we would let out loud bull elk squeals and glunking to entertain the kids. Much to our amazement women over in the clothes and fudge section would come walking upstairs with glazed over looks wanting to know where the strange sounds were coming from. After we did the call for the ladies they would get this crazy look in their eyes like you see them wearing after a Tom Cruise movie. They were like putty in our hands.

So iffen your down on your luck or just wanting to spice up the bedroom I can honestly recommend the Primos Terminator Elk Tube Call. You won't believe it till you see it in action. This marvelous invention called in all types of women, short ones, tall ones, redheads, brunettes, midget women you name it.

Cherry Valley Bowhunters Jenks Lake 3D Archery Shoot Part 1

I shot this video at our Cherry Valley Bowhunters Big Bear 3D Archery shoot near Jenk's Lake CA, August 1-3 2008. I can't think of nothing more relaxing than to camp out in the high mountain pines and fling arrows, only to set around a campfire later and talk bowhunting and archery.

3D archery is a subset of field archery focusing on shooting at life-size targets of game. It is most common to see unmarked distances in 3D archery, as the goal is to accurately recreate a hunting environment for competition.

On these animals there are 4 rings, only 3 of these are used in ASA shoots. The one that isn't used very often is the 14 ring. This can only be scored if you call it before you shoot, and even then it may not be allowed. Next is the 12 ring inside of the 10 ring, inside of the 8 ring. Anything on the target that is outside of the 8, 10, 12, or 14 rings is a 5. If you miss the target, you score a zero or goose egg.

Though the goal is hunting practice, hunting tips (broadheads) are not used, as they would tear up the foam targets too much. Normal target or field tips, of the same weight as the intended broadhead, are used instead.

Competitors use recurve bows, longbows and compound bows. Arrows are made of aluminum, carbon or cedar wood.



More info about archery and bowhunting and 3-D shoots on our Archery and Bowhunting forum.

To find a 3D shoot in your area check out 3DShoots.com

Camcorder was a Canon GL-2 with Bogen 3130 tripod and head.

New Leaf River iR-5 & iR-7SSi Infrared Game Cam Models

New for the "Switched On" Outdoorsman this summer are the Leaf River iR-5 and iR-7SSi infrared models that record sound when in the video mode. How cool is that? Infrared pics by night, color pics during the day or video with sound, you make the choice. Don and the gang At Leaf River have a winner here.

For a sneak peek at some tasty video from the new Leaf River game cams check out the links below.





Hog video

Turkey video

Quick look at the specs:

IR-7SS - $379.99

Features:

7.0 Mega-pixel Picture Quality
Built-In 2.4˝ Viewing Screen
Improved trigger speed
MPEG -4 video with 640 x 480 resolution at 30 frames per second
Sound recording when in video mode
Color daytime, infrared night-time still pictures or MPEG-4 video
SD card slot for removable memory or use internal memory (SD card not included)
Zoom and Pan feature on internal viewing screen
Adjustable sensitivity knob for motion detection
The unit can be programmed to pause from 1 to 90 minutes between pictures, and by using the Quick Shot mode, you can capture an even quicker 2nd and 3rd picture before entering the pause time, if additional motion is detected, such as a buck following a doe down a trail.
INCLUDES: Mossy Oak Treestand ® camoflage, USB cable, RCA cable, steel mounting bracket, steel security bar and mounting strap. Requires 4 D-cell and 3 C-cell batteries. (NOT INCLUDED) Infrared Digital

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IR-5 - $329.99

Features:

5.0 Mega-pixel Picture Quality
Built-In 1.6˝ Viewing Screen
Improved trigger speed
MPEG -4 video with 640 x 480 resolution at 30 frames per second
Sound recording when in video mode
Color daytime, infrared night-time still pictures or MPEG-4 video
SD card slot for removable memory or use internal memory (SD card not included)
Zoom and Pan feature on internal viewing screen
Adjustable sensitivity knob for motion detection
The unit can be programmed to pause from 1 to 90 minutes between pictures, and by using the Quick Shot mode, you can capture an even quicker 2nd and 3rd picture before entering the pause time, if additional motion is detected, such as a buck following a doe down a trail.
INCLUDES: Mossy Oak Treestand ® camoflage, USB cable, RCA cable, steel mounting bracket, steel security bar and mounting strap. Requires 4 D-cell and 3 C-cell batteries. (NOT INCLUDED) Infrared Digital
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Available from Leaf River and other fine dealers like Cabela's.

More videos from Leaf River on YouTube

MO Spring Youth Turkey Hunt 2008 Video

This was our hunt we did along with MissouriWhitetails.com. Steve and and our young hunter Kelly joined Dad and me up at our farm near Lewistown MO. It was a cold and snowy weekend and we froze our butts off. We did get a couple toms in to about 60 yards but they just wouldn't commit to give Kelly a chance for a poke at them with his shotgun.

Camcorder was a Canon GL-2.

SLAP CRAZY Award for this week

Every once in awhile I bump into someone who's wired just a bit different. What mortals quake in fear over these folks wade in with a goofy smile on their face. "They just ain't right", as one buddy describes them.

This week's award goes to this fella down in Louisiana doing hog depredation in a flooded rice field. He was new to the game and started out with a rifle and somehow ended up using a Cold Steel spear at night in close quarters. Did I mention he goes in barefoot? Wielding a spear is also tricky in that if you miss a vital spot you're holding on to one pissed off pig that is within easy striking distance.

All this in the dark in high grass so you can't see squat until you're on it. That takes some sand.

Take The Wood To These Folks, PLEASE!!!!

A recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle fish wrap by Tom Stienstra about a poacher busted with a bunch illegally taken game has me wondering when our courts systems will finally put the wood to these folks. The wrist slaps simply are not working.

At the recent California Fish & Game Commission meeting here in Upland CA the commissioners talked about raising the current fines and penalties for the commercial poachers since the current laws are not working to deter folks from raping our natural resources. I think the egregious poachers also need to be lumped in with the commercial poacher law change.

One simple violation like shooting too late would be just a small fine. If you get caught with multiple violations or are a repeat offender than they throw the book at you. Maybe a 2 strikes and you're out dealio. Wardens tell us the current fines are no deterrent when the poacher can make 10X the fine selling the poached game. The solution seems simple, raise the fines to where it really hurts and add in some mandatory jail time. That should get their attention for starters. The commission also talked raising the serious poaching cases to felony level. Whatever it takes, I've had a bellyful of seeing someone caught way WAY over the line and they get a simple $100 fine and back out they go to do it all over again.

I also think the guys poaching for trophy game should also be lumped into the harsher punishment category. Some states have already taken action to stop the trophy poachers with the Samson Law. This legislation significantly increases the penalties associated with the poaching of trophy big game animals. Heck, I'd vote for 1/2 hour with a belt sander being applied but I don't think that's going to fly

I believe the trophy poachers are the worst as they leave the headless animal to rot in the woods or field, many times in plain sight of a road where all can see. Dad and I found a headless whitetail like this near Swan Lake NWR several years back. It really left an empty feeling in me that someone could be so callous in regard to our wildlife and hunting traditions. They simply shot the buck from their vehicle, hopped out with a Sawzall and cut the head off and hopped back in and scrammed. Maybe took them 5 minutes to do their handywork.

What else can we do to stop this nonsense? Store your state's poaching tip line in your cellphone. If your state doesn't have a tip line ask them, "Why Not?" Carry a small digital camera with you in the field. If you see something that raises your suspicions take some pics. You don't need to confront the bad guys, just make the call and let the wardens and cops do their job. In some states they even offer rewards for the tips. You can remain anonymous and help weed out the dirtbags who steal from the community. We also need to educate and put pressure on our local district attorneys and judges who are the ones lowering the boom. Many times they don't understand the severity of these crimes and how they affect our image to the non hunting or fishing public.

What do you think? Are the current poaching laws and punishment fair or do you think we need to tighten the screw a bit? How does your state operate? Do they have a tip line?

P.S. That big whitetail buck above, he was poached on Swan Lake NWR in Missouri and the guy was caught. The mount is on display in the refuge office.