New York State Man Arrested For Having Too Many Wildlife Feeders?

A state man has been arrested twice within a matter of days for something you may not have known you could be arrested for. The NY Department of Environmental Conservation says that feeding some wildlife, such as moose and wild deer is prohibited. Their website states that these laws are to "reduce risks associated with communicable wildlife diseases, minimize conflicts with deer (and other wildlife), and protect wildlife habitats.". However, feeding ducks and geese isn't necessarily illegal in New York, according to the DEC.

But what about having feeders on your own property? This seems like quite a stretch. Can they really do this?

The Story

Finger Lakes Daily News says that a 71-year-old New York state man was arrested twice in just a couple of days for having too many feeder trays on his property. The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office says the Sodus, NY man had over 22 animal feeders on his property and had drawn numerous complaints from his neighbors. FLDN says the excessive amount of feeders violated a Village of Sodus Point local ordinance. Officials say he has been charged with unlawfully feeding wildlife.

Is This For Real? 

The website Find Law says that some cities or municipalities can have ordinances in place against backyard feeding. The amount of feeders allowed can also vary from one area to the next. The website says that while you may not get arrested, you can still be fined by your local town. Some towns may require your bird feeder to be enclosed so seeds don't fall to the ground, attracting rodents. One Pennsylvania couple found out the hard way. This is where it can get tricky, but again it depends where you live. Cases like this are pretty rare though, and are not the norm.

There aren't too many other details concerning the above story, or what specifically this man's history was between him and his neighbors, law enforcement, or the village. But is appears that the numerous complaints against him put him on the radar, which eventually lead to the arrests.