Big game hunter in Bechtelsville
Real Men, Rednecks and more
By Sue Hohenadel
Editor
Walking into Skip Kelsch’s trophy
room is overwhelming, to say the least.
Whether or not you are a proponent of
hunting, the work that has gone into his
room is impressive.
Skip is the owner of Lazy K
Campground in Bechtelsville. It is not
only his job, but one of his loves. He is a
husband, a father and a grandfather. He
works hard and it’s evident that he plays
just as hard. But other than his family, his
other great passion is hunting, and we’re
not talking your average groundhog or
deer.
“I have been hunting since I was 15
years old,” said Skip. “Ever since I was
eight years old, my dream was to some-
day have a room like this where I could
display my trophies.”
Skip grew up on a farm, one of 12
children. Everyone had their chores to do
to keep the family up and running. But,
on a Sunday after church, Skip would
find a quiet place and read his “Boys’
Life” magazine. It was in one of those
issues that he first read an article about a
hunter and his quest for a “Grand Slam”
– bagging one of each in a specific
species of animal.
“When I first started hunting, I was
strictly a ‘meat hunter’,” said Skip. “I
would hunt specifically for getting meat
to feed my family.”
But as his family grew, so did his pas-
sion for the sport. He immersed himself
in learning about the animals he was
hunting – how long they lived, what they
ate, what time of year they bred, and
everything else he could find to familiar-
ize himself with the sport.
“Now I hunt to harvest the more
mature animals,” he said. “Harvesting
animals is part of the evolutionary
process.”
The proud winner of not one, but two
Grand Slams, Skip explained that with
most animals, there is a life expectancy.
Generally, hunters will go for the mature
animals that are nearing the end of their
lives and will most likely die of starva-
tion because they are too old or weak to
fend for themselves.
“It is very rare that hunters will kill a
female or a young animal,” said Skip.
His travels have taken him across the
United States, into Mexico, and about 90
miles south of the North Pole.
“When I went to the Northwest
3
Territory in Canada for the polar bear
shoot, we were about 90 miles from the
North Pole,” Skip said. “The day I got
the bear it was 40 degrees below zero!
To give an indication as to how cold
that is, Skip said that his hair actually
froze to his sleeping bag and he had to be
pried loose by his hunting guides.
“The guides would make hot tea dur-
ing the course of the day to stave off
hypothermia,” Skip explained. “If I put
my cup of steaming tea on the ground, it
would be frozen within minutes!”
Skip said that his polar bear – which
stands more than 11 feet and weighs more
than 1,100 pounds – was in a group of
three bears when he first spotted it.
“I had to be told three times to shoot,”
said Skip. “I was so amazed and over-
whelmed at the sight of these giant crea-
tures that I didn’t lift my gun until the
third time my guide told me to shoot.”
“I had never seen a polar bear other
Photos by Sue Hohenadel
than in a zoo,” he laughed.
Skip Kelsch stands among with some of his trophies. Skip has bagged enough to fill his
Skip said that each of the animals that
den...and more.
hangs on his walls have been eaten by
himself and his family.
“All except for the black bear,” he
said. “I ate it once. You won’t get me to
eat it again.”
Skip said that most hunters are ethical,
and will not shoot at an animal to cripple
or maim it.
“I try and kill animals as mercifully as
I can,” said Skip.
In addition, most hunters eat the meat
from the animals they kill or they donate
it to local organizations that feed the
homeless and less fortunate.
“Both California and New York are
This ain’t Bullwinkle, but it is one of Skip’s
states where you can designate your meat
many trophies.
to go to charity,” said Skip. “It would be
great if all states provided hunters that
option so everyone could benefit.”
With all the trophies in his room, you
would think that Skip would be content to
sit back and enjoy the scenery, but he’s
not. The fact that Skip has suffered from
four heart attacks, a stroke, two major
bypass operations, countless broken
bones and injuries has not deterred him.
“I was raised that you can be sick in Above: This snow goose hangs over the couch in the den. Above right: What do you do
bed or sick doing your chores,” he said.
when you’re staring at an 1100 pound bear? Duh...
“I chose to be sick and do my chores.”
So what does the future hold for Skip
Kelsch?
“I need one more thing to complete
this room,” said Skip. “I need a Shiras
Moose.”
And it’s a safe bet that he’ll get one.
A stuffed mountain
lion is perched behind
the couch in Skip’s
den. Skip says that
there are still more
animals he’d like to
bag, but he’s running
out of room.