"Jim Yanik" . wrote in message
.. .

Depends on the law where he lives. In many states (like NY), it is
LEGAL to kill an animal which is destroying food crops, even if
"crops" refers to a small vegetable garden. This is NOT to suggest
that it would be safe or smart to shoot anything in a typical
neighborhood. It almost never is, unless you're dealing with a dog
attack in progress. But in rural areas, quite a few animals,
including dogs, end up like Jimmy Hoffa.




Cats really do not destroy food crops.
They have no interest in veggies.
And the punishment should not be so great for such little "damage" they
could do.Not like a deer or rabbits eating the crops.

What do you folks do about birds??? Shotguns,poison?

I have no idea what farmers do about birds. I put netting over the few
things they mess with (strawberries, mostly).

An animal (or person) doesn't need to eat crops in order to destroy them.
Digging, trampling and ****ing can do quite a big of damage to a row of new
seedlings. That's why the law (here in NY) is not specific as to what type
of damage needs to happen before an animal can be sent to heaven (or hell,
in the case of dogs). Matter of fact, the only caveat in the law is that if
you're going to eliminate an animal which is subject to hunting season
regulations, and it's out of season, you have to first get a special permit.
I doubt this is actually done, but that's what it says.

I think the reason this situation is misunderstood is because most people
paint an incorrect mental picture. They see a 200 acre field of corn, and
three deer munching one tenth of one percent of that crop. They wonder how
this could possibly matter to the farmer. It doesn't matter, usually, and
the farmer has better things to do than stalk deer. He'll lose more than
that to raccoons. But, a NY DEC warden explained to me that the law was
actually written for the benefit of truck farmers (think "farmstand", too),
and people who are cultivating very small plots in order to put food on the
table.

If you need a demo, plant a 5 foot row of lettuce, which has very shallow
roots. Wait till it's about 1/2" high. Urinate on half the row a few times.
Dig around the other half, about as deeply as a dog might, right alongside
the row. Let me know how that goes.