I'd have to discuss that issue of such activity being illegal.
As an argument:
Texas Penal CodeTITLE 9. OFFENSES AGAINST PUBLIC ORDER AND DECENCY
CHAPTER 42. DISORDERLY CONDUCT AND RELATED OFFENSES
§42.09. Cruelty to animals.
(a) A person commits an offense if the person intentionally or knowingly:
(5) kills, seriously injures, or administers poison to an animal, other than cattle, horses, sheep, swine, or goats, belonging to another without legal authority or the owner's effective consent
(e)
It is a defense to prosecution under Subsection (a)(5) that the animal was discovered on the person's property in the act of or immediately after injuring or killing the person's goats, sheep, cattle, horses, swine, or poultry and that person killed or injured the animal at the time of this discovery.
(g)
It is a defense to prosecution for an offense under this section that the person had a reasonable fear of bodily injury to the person or to another by a dangerous wild animal as defined by Section 822.101, Health and Safety Code.
(h)
It is an exception to the application of this section that the conduct engaged in by the actor is a generally accepted and otherwise lawful:
(1) use of an animal if that use occurs solely for the purpose of:
(A) fishing, hunting, or trapping; or
(B) wildlife control as regulated by state and federal law; or
(2) animal husbandry or farming practice involving livestock.
(i)
An offense under Subsection (a)(1), (5), (6), (7), or (8 ) is a state jail felony, except that the offense is a felony of the third degree if the person has previously been convicted two times under this section.
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I only included the parts of the PC that I thought were applicable in this discussion.
ItÂ’s not against the law to eliminate pest animals if the action can be demonstrated to be in compliance with the law. If you can't show you had a legal reason, you've got a problem you don't want.
One of the standards for maintaining “domestic” animals is ensuring that they are fed and or cared for on a regular basis. Therefore, if you feed deer, hogs, squirrels, or birds they are “domesticated” They are “pets” and or "livestock".
If you have a game management program, same applies.
I believe that it can be demonstrated that shooting stray dogs running deer, or cats harassing birds is found to be an exception under the laws protecting livestock and pets. I believe that it can also be demonstrated that stray dogs and cats present notable health and safety concerns, as evidenced by programs in many communities to round them up and destroy them at taxpayer expense.