One hunt, two bucks, three photos

By By Otha Barham / outdoors editor
March 26, 2004
Last deer season, as with every other one, there were interesting, unusual and "once in a lifetime" happenings in the deer woods. The account of a particularly fascinating hunt was sent to me by Pharis Godfrey, formerly of Meridian.
Godfrey and Kevin Hatcher, a local hunter, were hunting the well known Mahannah Wildlife Management Area near Vicksburg. "I look forward to any opportunity to return to my home state to hunt with family and friends," said Godfrey, who now lives in Houston, Texas. He was given just that opportunity last December when he was drawn for the last gun hunt at Mahannah.
Godfrey, who had hunted the area before, was inspired by the fact that a 190 class buck had been harvested on the WMA in 2002. He invited Hatcher to accompany him on the hunt each successful hunter in the draw being allowed one guest. The two made their hunt plans.
They arrived in time to scout the afternoon before opening morning. Kevin located a good buck that he hunted the following morning. Pharis hunted a drainage a half mile away. Within and hour, Godfrey heard his friend's 7mm Magnum rifle fire and soon they were standing over a fine 12 point buck.
Trophies only
Their hunt package was a special six-day buck hunt with a minimum 8 points and 15 inch inside spread being the requirements. So Kevin's hunt was over on the first day. But he asked the area manager for permission to return to the woods the next day armed only with a 35mm camera. His request was granted.
That first afternoon, Godfrey jumped an impressive buck going in and saw a couple of does before darkness fell.
Hatcher accompanied Godfrey the next morning to an area they chose by studying an aerial photograph of the unit. He selected a stand at the junction of two sloughs and offered the spot to Godfrey. "Always determined to look for greener grass, I traveled on to a spot 300 yards away," said Pharis.
Soon his two-way radio brought news from Hatcher of numerous bucks passing the stand at the sloughs. His friend had snapped photos of several. He returned to join Hatcher where he hunted the rest of the morning. But no more bucks came by.
The evidence
A mad dash to the one hour photo shop revealed a buck with "a tall rack and an 18-20 inch spread," to quote Hatcher's prediction.
The pair returned to the spot that afternoon and cleared a spot in a brush top for a makeshift blind. Even though Kevin had not spooked the big deer, neither hunter expected it to return the same day. But lo, it did return. And Godfrey downed the monster within 20 yards of where it had been photographed.