CDFF, Monterey County Team Up In Successful Poaching Bust

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife and Monterey County officials, plus the California Department of Fish and Wildlife: combined to nab a poacher.

Here’s more from the Monterey County D.A. office, the release headlined,

POACHER SENTENCED TO 180 DAYS JAIL AND FINED $8,000

As well as for driving on a suspended license. Xiong was ordered not to hunt in Monterey County for three years. All illegally taken wildlife was forfeited, along with lead ammunition that is not authorized to be possessed while hunting in California. Xiong may serve his jail sentence through home confinement. 

In February 2018, trail camera photographs captured Xiong hunting on private land near Parkfield in south Monterey County. The landowners recognized Xiong from previous contacts and reported the trespass to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Through its investigation, Fish and Wildlife determined that Xiong killed at least seven wild pigs from February to May 2018 without first obtaining the required hunting tags. In July 2018, Xiong was stopped by officers from the King City office of the California Highway Patrol in the early morning hours while driving on a suspended license, and was found with a recently killed deer and two wild turkeys that were all taken out of season. A California Department of Fish and Wildlife officer was summoned to the scene and examined the animal carcasses and determined that the deer and wild turkeys were taken with a .22 rimfire rifle, which is an unethical method of take for such animals. Xiong also possessed a wild pig with no hunting tag affixed to the carcass.