Scare tactics

To stop Huang, the hunters have taken measures to scare him. Four of Huang's buffaloes were stolen, hundreds of his ducks were driven away, his rice farm was sprayed with herbicide, and the door and windows of his home were destroyed.

"They are now turning to threaten my 17-year-old son. They can do anything toward me, but my kid didn't do anything wrong," Huang said holding back tears.

One blogger accused Huang of going after hunters only after he himself was linked to illegal hunting.

An unidentified government official in Jiangxi said Huang is not trustworthy. "Don't trust Huang. He suffers from some mental disease," the official told the Global Times.

Qian of the academy said weak law enforcement allows hunters to profit.

Yang Kaiwen, Party secretary in Changyi township, told Southern Weekend that it is difficult to catch the illegal hunters because the lake is so large.

However, another source familiar with illegal hunting told the Global Times that the government is not actively trying to curb illegal hunting.

"A number of local government officials are affiliated to parties interested in hunting, selling and eating migratory birds," the source said.