Father and son accused of hunting deer on UHCL campus

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A father and son were arrested for illegally hunting whitetail deer on a Houston-area college campus.

Shane Strickland, 39, and his 18-year-old son, Reed Strickland, have been charged with "taking certain wildlife without consent" from the University of Houston-Clear Lake campus.

According to the UHCL Police Department Interim Chief of Police Russell Miller, they were caught Monday, allegedly having just killed a deer with a crossbow. Police responded to the UHCL Campus Nature Trail after a caller reported an on-ground deer blind and deer corn nearby. The Stricklands were found soon after, Miller said. He called it illegal hunting.

The campus is nestled on a 500-plus acre nature habitat in both Pasadena and Houston, and is home to wildlife like alligators, bobcats and deer. Signs warn visitors about the wildlife, which are protected. At dusk, deer are often out feeding not far from the buildings that almost 9,000 students use. But they are off-limits to hunters.

ABC13's attempts to reach the Stricklands were not successful. At their Friendswood home, Shane Strickland's father said he was shocked by the arrest and apologized.

The two are out of jail on a $1,000 personal bond, which means they did not have to pay any money to get out of jail. Neither has a job, court records say

Miller said the father-son pair have no affiliation with the school, and no student or faculty member was in danger.

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