{"id":57206,"date":"2019-04-13T04:18:44","date_gmt":"2019-04-13T10:18:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=57206"},"modified":"2025-04-11T07:40:38","modified_gmt":"2025-04-11T12:40:38","slug":"californian-richard-parker-convicted-in-mass-killing-of-raptors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/04\/13\/californian-richard-parker-convicted-in-mass-killing-of-raptors\/","title":{"rendered":"Californian Richard Parker Convicted For Mass Killing Of Raptors"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Red-tailedRed-tailed Hawk leaping lift off – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/2500, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

Last year in March I wrote about a California man named Richard Parker<\/span><\/a> who had been arrested for what was believed to be the largest mass killing of raptors in California’s history. Yesterday Parker was convicted of his crimes for poaching after pleading guilty for killing more than 150 raptors. Most of the raptors were Red-tailed Hawks<\/span><\/a> but there were other hawk species and an owl that were slaughtered by Parker on his 80 acre Lassen County ranch.<\/p>\n

Parker was sentenced to 90 days in jail, is to pay a $75,000.00 fine and will be placed on a 5 year probation, his probation terms include prohibitions on possessing firearms, hunting and fishing, full search authority, and the requirement to obey all laws. Two weapons used in the crimes of killing the raptors were ordered destroyed by the court.<\/p>\n

Personally I don’t think 90 days in jail is long enough for the egregious crimes committed by Parker but that decision was up to the judge. As for the 5 year probation I also think that should have been longer and that Parker should lose all rights to hunt for the rest of his life.<\/p>\n

\"Richard<\/p>\n

This laughing booking photo speaks volumes doesn’t it? I’d almost bet that when this photo was taken Parker thought he would get away with his crime.<\/p>\n

The birds of prey that Parker killed are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act<\/span> and with as many hawks as Parker killed the fine could have been much higher.<\/p>\n

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), Lassen & Plumas County Wildlife Officers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Forensics Laboratory in Ashland, Ore, and Deputy Attorney General\u2019s Office worked together to make sure that there would be a successful prosecution in this case which is probably why Parker eventually plead guilty. The arrest and conviction may not have happened at all if it had not been for the anonymous tip that led law enforcement to Parker’s ranch.<\/p>\n

I did a little research last night and it is obvious that there are people out there that still think you can “shoot, shovel, and shut up” (SSS) when it comes to killing birds of prey. Take a look here<\/span><\/a> on a Field & Stream forum where someone asked if they could kill a hawk for killing his chickens. I was glad to see that there were people willing to tell others that hawks are protected under the law and disgusted by the SSS crowd.<\/p>\n

Justice has been served in the case of Richard Parker killing the 150 raptors but that does not bring those valuable raptors back. Parker should be glad that I wasn’t his judge. His fine and jail time would have been the highest that the laws allow.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

CDFW News source here<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Justice has been served in the case of Richard Parker killing the 150 raptors but that does not bring those valuable raptors back. Parker should be glad that I wasn’t his judge. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":142789,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,1148,449,26],"tags":[2663,4170,2497,7064,4033,4169,1027,4282,6407,153,4209,7063],"class_list":["post-57206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-box-elder-county-utah","category-red-tailed-hawks","category-utah","tag-birds-of-prey","tag-buteo-jamaicensis","tag-buteos","tag-convicted","tag-hawk","tag-hawks","tag-leaping","tag-lift-off","tag-poacher","tag-raptors","tag-red-tailed-hawk","tag-richard-parker"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/red-tailed-hawk-leaping-lift-off-mia-mcpherson-0943.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-eSG","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":51251,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2018\/03\/15\/man-arrested-for-illegal-mass-killing-of-raptors-in-california\/","url_meta":{"origin":57206,"position":0},"title":"Man Arrested for Illegal Mass Killing of Raptors in California","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 15, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"I seriously don't know why some people do the things they do and there are times that I read articles and find myself simultaneously exceedingly sad and tremendously angry when those articles have to do with the malicious, illegal killing of birds and wildlife.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Red-tailed Hawk chick close up, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/red-tailed-hawk-chick-mia-mcpherson-8348.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/red-tailed-hawk-chick-mia-mcpherson-8348.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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Off","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 31, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"On the way home I did spot a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk sitting on a power pole near Blue Creek Spring and I put my lens on it because I was hoping it would take flight after it finished preening itself on the pole.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk rousing after lift off, Blue Creek Spring, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/red-tailed-hawk-juvenile-rousing-leap-mia-mcpherson-1484.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/red-tailed-hawk-juvenile-rousing-leap-mia-mcpherson-1484.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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