Two poachers from California unknowingly set themselves up for arrest after openly discussing their illegal hunting activities on a flight, failing to realize that the passengers listening nearby were undercover wildlife officers.

Byron Lee Fitzpatrick, 24, and Shannon Lee Price, 28, were traveling back to California in November 2023 when they struck up a conversation about their collection of illegal game trophies. Among the items they boasted about was a green sea turtle skull — protected under federal law — which they smuggled in their luggage. The couple also described illegal mountain lion hunting and even shared details about a relative’s collection of mounted wildlife that included a wolverine and multiple mountain lions.

Seated in front of them, two plainclothes officers from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife listened closely. The officers revealed their occupation at one point, but Fitzpatrick and Price, failing to find their names in an online search, continued bragging. The couple even showed a video of a trophy room filled with illegally acquired mounts.

After landing, the officers requested to see the turtle skull. The couple, wary of security personnel, waited until they were clear of TSA before revealing the item. This encounter led to search warrants for both the couple’s home in Chico, California, and the home of 64-year-old Harry Vern Fitzpatrick in Napa County.

When wildlife officers raided the couple’s home, they found them actively processing a deer they had illegally taken earlier that day. Investigators seized multiple illegal animal remains, including mountain lion claws, a ringtail cat, a barn owl and improperly tagged deer. At the elder Fitzpatrick’s residence, officers discovered illegally mounted mountain lions and a wolverine.

In April 2024, Fitzpatrick and Price were fined $1,000 each for violating federal wildlife laws. Additionally, in January 2025, Fitzpatrick was ordered to pay $1,865 and prohibited from hunting for a year, while Price was fined $1,015 and given the same ban. The elder Fitzpatrick received a $605 fine and a six-month hunting probation.

California wildlife officials noted that illegal wildlife trafficking can have serious consequences, often funding international criminal organizations.