Trapping and relocating wild animals without a license is against
the law in many places.

Did not know the law at the time. I had actually released a
trapped squirrel in the park in the presence of a county cop in
the county substation near the park and he said nothing. Later I
read in the paper that you can trap and kill an animal but not
release it elsewhere. Kinda stupid isn't it?

No. An animal that has been trapped might learn from the experience to
stay out of traps in the future. A killed animal does not present the
same problem.