KELLY BINGHAM:    AFRICA PLAINS GAME

Service, involvement and leadership are the foundational principles Kelly Bingham lives by everyday. He is dedicated to the outdoors and focuses his time and efforts into programs/projects/organizations in order to make a difference for everyone, especially the next generation of hunters and union workers. Kelly is a dedicated union member and proves as much by operating as the president of the USW local 12-578. “I believe in all that the labor movement does for each and every one of us in this nation.”

On top of that huge responsibility, Kelly is the Program Coordinator for the Utah chapter of a national non-profit organization called Farmers & Hunters Feeding the Hungry. Since helping start the Utah chapter, Kelly has helped provide over 7500 pounds of venison to the hungry. He’s also an active supporter of the NRA, the Mule Deer Foundation, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, North American Hunting Club, Bowhunters of Utah, Pope and Young Club, NWTF, Pheasants Forever and the Utah Bowmen’s Association. If he’s not involved, Kelly doesn’t think he’s living.

Kelly goes above and beyond in life. As a member of the United Steel Workers union, he works for the Holly Refinery in Woods Cross, Utah, about 30 miles from his home in West Point. He loves working with his union brothers and sisters and is always looking to further their local. “Everything I have that comes from my job is because my union brothers and sisters stood up for what was right and made it better for my generation. Now it is my turn to make sure the dream of having a union job stays alive for the next generation.” Kelly is directing his ambitious character to further his education and learn how to become an international union representative.

If you couldn’t tell by the organizations Kelly’s involved with, he loves to hunt and fish. Like most, he started at an early age being taught by his father and uncle. Together, the three of them would go hunting and fishing at his uncle’s Utah mountain cabin. He learned to hunt by rifle, shotgun and bow. “Hunting has become a passion (my wife would say an obsession) that has influenced my life in many aspects. I am focused year round on being the best I can be and making sure that other areas of my life are in order so that I can enjoy the hunting season.”

Today, Kelly hunts with his pal, Jerl Savage, and together they use Kelly’s llamas as pack animals and head into the back-country of Utah for deer and elk. Kelly’s dream trip would be to hunt the plains game of South Africa. “I will never get the chance to hunt in Africa on my own. It would be an awesome experience to see the country and have always dreamed of hunting these animals. I cannot imagine the memories that would be created if I were able to win this hunt.”

Kelly is married to wife, Monica, who is a pharmacist. Together they have a 9-year-old daughter who Kelly taught to rabbit hunt and fish. As a family they love spending time in the outdoors and a very faithful to their Christian faith – spending a lot of time with church and church activities. Kelly’s always busy keeping his daughter on the go with dance classes and extracurriculars, but always sets aside a weekly date night for him and his wife.

Through his life, Kelly’s overcome some tough battles – his mother was an alcoholic and so he grew up in a dysfunctional and abusive home. Those early obstacles caused issues that Kelly had to deal with as an adult. Through counseling, his wife’s support and ‘giving my life over to the Lord,’ Kelly overcame his problems and started focusing on helping others. “This is my way of paying back my Heavenly Father for all that He has done for me.”

Humbly, Kelly said he thinks he ‘deserves’ the trip because of how involved he is with trying to better the lives of others including the next generation. “I spend so much time helping the community out and giving back. Winning this trip would also allow me to share what a union worker’s life is all about and how we give back to the community.”
If surprised, Kelly says that he’s the excited type who would jump up and down, yelling and cheering. 

 As the plane touched down in Johannesberg, I couldn’t wait to get back on the ground. Seventeen to twenty hours traveling is more than I had bargained for. After collecting our bags we proceeded to where we needed to pick up our guns that Tom had brought with him. He claimed that they were two loners from Beretta that we would have to return  when we were finished with the hunt. Our camera man Larry Sletten and Guide from Ngwarati Safaris Deon van Niekerk were there waiting for us. As Tom and Deon proceeded to pick up the guns, they were told that the guns were not there. Tom went with a police officer to talk with Delta to find out where the guns were. Deon suggested that we could use a couple of guns that he had but Larry told him that they had to be Tikka models for the show. Luckily within about 30 minutes, they found the guns somewhere they shouldn’t have been. We were out of the airport and finally on our way when we hit a major traffic jam that held us up several hours. Due to traveling the previous 24 hours, the delay with the guns and the traffic jam, I was worn out and hoping things would turn around for us soon. As we approached the lodge where we were to stay, we spotted a giraffe in the road in front of us. As we proceeded up the road a herd of Impala took off. I have never seen something so awesome as the impala that were literally flying horizontally to the ground across the road in front of us. The plane ride was already a distant memory and I was starting to get very excited. Upon arrival at camp we all met Deon’s wife Gigi and the camp staff. They are all very nice people and Gigi knows how to cook a wonderful meal. From the butternut soup to salad to the mince meat South African dish she had prepared, everything was so good. I was then shown to my chalet or sleeping quarters. They put me in a nice room and put both Larry the camera man and Tom the host in tents with beds. I felt guilty taking the nicest room and suggested that one of them should have it. They insisted that I was the star of the show and that I should have the room. The tents were very nice accommodations that would be fit for anyone.

Day 1

We were up at approximately 6:30 p.m. to have breakfast. We started with cereals and juices so we could get out and sight in our guns. I have seen enough episodes of Escape to the Wild to know that in everyone I’d seen, the winner of the hunt was given a brand new gun to use and then take home with him. I had not seen last years African hunt winner and thought to myself that the African hunt was expensive enough that surely they would not give me a gun also. Tom pulled a brand new Tikka T3 model 300 Winchester Mag from its case and asked how it would be hunting with it for the week. It is one of the lightest guns I have ever shot and has a great feel to it. Tom then told me he was glad I liked it so much because it was going home with me when finished with the hunt. As if this was not enough, Tom proceeded to pull clothes, shooting glasses, shooting ear muffs, ammo, a buck knife, and a nice backpack all donated by Beretta. I guarantee you it felt like Christmas and was overwhelming. Just receiving the news that I had won the hunt was enough to make me emotional. Now I was really starting to feel overwhelmed with being treated this way. The gun was already sighted in very close and only needed some slight adjustment and we were ready to go. Within about an hour we seen several warthog, a kudu cow, and had spotted two very nice gemsbok bulls. After making a short stalk, I had the crosshairs on a nice 36 inch bull but the camera was not able to get a good look at the animal for the shot. We had to let them go and Deon assured me that we would find some more later. Not long after this, we spotted several impala and make a stalk but were unsuccessful in getting into the right position. We then returned to the lodge for a great brunch and visit. What a great start to an unbelievable hunting trip of a lifetime. After brunch and a couple of hours to relax, we headed back out for the afternoon/evening hunt. I have never been to a place where you can see so many different fascinating animals all at once. Just during this evening hunt, we were able to see several warthog, sable, impala, nyala, a waterbuck, a springbok, and a couple of kudu. We were able to spot a very nice impala ram but was unable to put ourselves in the right position to get a shot before the ram disappeared into the thick brush. As we headed back toward the truck we spotted a kudu cow and a very nice bull. The bull did not present us with a shot but was very fun to watch and hear him bark at us. It is quite interesting hunting these animals with our PH (Professional Hunter) Deon, Host Tom Ackerman, and Camera man Larry Sletten, and I. It takes a lot of patients and hard work to get four people into position and get the right shot so that this can be shared with everyone on video. I know that Deon will put us in the right place and we will get some great footage. If it were easy it wouldn’t be called hunting. With one day of hunting behind me and five more to go, I am sure we will have several great encounters and experiences along the way. This day will be one I remember the rest of my life even though I did not get to pull the trigger on an animal. After all, how many people get to come to Africa, meet so many great people, see so many fascinating animal, get treated like a king, and get handed a brand new rifle, ammo, knife, glasses, earmuffs, coats, jackets, pants, shirts, a gun case, and a nice backpack. This has been one of the best days of my life.

Day 2

We started out by heading back to the impala we had seen the night before. As we passed the field we could see that there was a very large herd out feeding. We drove around to get into position. As we approached the opening on foot, we noticed that all the impala had moved to the far edge of the field. Deon decided to put a stalk on to see if we could get close enough for a shot. We had closed the gap from about 800 yards to just under 200 yards when Deon spotted the large ram we were after. Once I put the gun in the shooting sticks, I noticed some over hanging branches that could become a problem so I immediately found a spot on the ground and sat in a good steady shooting position. Deon told me to wait until the ram lifted up his head. I made sure that Larry was ready for me to shoot. Upon his okay, I squeezed the trigger and dropped the ram directly in his tracks. What a great feeling it was to have my first African Plains Game animal on the ground. I shot him from a sitting position at 160 yards. After taking pictures and taking the impala back to camp it was time for brunch. We had wonderful lasagna made with impala. After brunch we headed to Deon’s favorite watering hole and situated ourselves in a ground blind. We weren’t there for more than five minutes when warthogs stated coming in. We sat there for about two hours and had warthogs, impala, francolin, and guinea fowl there almost the whole time. Every time the warthogs would come in, I would look back at Deon and all he ever did was shake his head no and tell us not big enough tusks. He said that when one came in that was big enough we would not need his reassurance as we would know it just by looking at it. After leaving the waterhole we found a herd of blue wildebeest and tried to stock them. We put two different stalks on two different herds but couldn’t get into position for a shot. As we proceeded through the country we spotted a couple of very nice gemsbok. One was definitely a shooter but they were not willing to stick around long enough for us to get on them. We then headed to an area where we had seen some kudu the day before. As we approached, we could see that there were about 8 to 10 kudu bedded by a watering hole. The wind was not right and neither was the sun. We were running short on daylight so we drove a big circle around them and proceeded to stalk. We stopped at about 300 yards but Deon wanted to get closer as did I. We stalked to within about 160 yards but that was too far away for our camera man to take the camera off of the tripod so he could crawl on his belly out into the open so we could get the footage. Deon decided to try and get a little closer. We closed the distance to 60 yards but as we tried to get set up with the camera, they were looking right at us. They became alert enough that they decided to jump the fence and leave just before we ran out of light anyway. What a beautiful animal these kudu are. This one went well over 50 inches and is one I would have loved to have hanging on my wall. In two days I have seen so many animals and had so many close calls that I know we will be able to get at least a couple of more animals. The hardest part is trying to get the camera man and three of us in position before we take a shot just so we can get the right footage. I know that the only reason I am here is because of the show and being patient is a small price to pay in order to be here pursuing these animals. I know Deon can make it happen because he has shown me great patience and great skills when it comes to tracking an animal to where they are hanging. Deon is very into this guiding thing and it appears to be a lot more than just making sure his clients get the animals that they have paid for. He is a genuine guy who tried to explain every little detail to us. You can tell it is his passion and he really enjoys it. Once again the food was great and the accommodations are unbelievable. This is definitely a dream come true and so far the very best part of the hunt has been in meeting and spending time with Tom, Larry, Deon, Gigi, Beery, Winand, and their dogs. Hopefully tomorrow we will give Beery something else to skin.

Day 3

What a great and exciting day this would turn out to be. First thing in the morning we started seeing kudu but never any good bulls. We came across a herd of blue wildebeest with a very nice bull and made a stalk but were never presented with an opportunity to shoot. I have watched many African Safari type hunting shows and never have they once shown how thick this country really is. The ground is crisp because of the fallen leaves and makes it hard to get into position on the animals. Although we did not harvest anything during the morning hunt, we were able to see waterbuck, steenbok, duiker, kudu, zebra, warthog, impala and many blue wildebeest. The afternoon turned out to be very exciting. We positioned ourselves in a clump of grass in the middle of a field where the kudu tend to come and feed and water. We had several kudu come in including a 50 inch bull that I had my sights on but things didn’t turn out right for a shot. We watched a cow feed all the way across the field from behind us and feared she would see us but never did. Not long after she made it to the other side, I spotted six kudu emerging from the bush and one of them was a massive trophy bull. I was the only one facing them so I told everyone to be quiet and not move. The herd headed straight toward us and there was no opportunity to get the camera turned around let alone breathe. The kudu got to within about 70 yards of us before getting nervous and trotting off to our right. As they started to slowly run away, I repositioned myself along with everyone else in order to set up for a shot. While resetting I did not move the pack out in front of me that I was using for a rest and ended up shooting off my hand from a prone position, a crooked prone position at that. As I fired the shot, I noticed that I had flinched. It was just enough to pull the shot to the right of the bull. I reloaded but never had the opportunity for another shot. What a major disappointment this day had turned out to be as after this shot it was time to head back to the lodge for the day. Deon told me that the bull would have gone 54 inches and would have been the biggest one harvested to date this year by him. Deon told me that to be honest he did not think I would have a look at another one that big. In fact he said that most people don’t even get to see one that big. I hate missing shots as does anyone else and beat myself up pretty well all the way back to the lodge. After some major ribbing and harassment form everyone, they told me to keep my head in the game because they were sure that another opportunity would present itself and I would need to be ready to make the shot. I just hope I have an opportunity to redeem myself and bring home a grey ghost from Africa. With three days gone and only three days left, I have stacked the deck against me by missing this shot. As Tom Ackerman (Host of Escape to the Wild) keeps telling me, it’s not how good you start a lot of the time, but how you finish that counts. Let’s hope we can double up on one of the final days in order to fill all tags I have to fill.

Day 4

After not getting much sleep we had to get up early so we could get an early start on a new piece of property about an hour away from where we were staying. As we entered the property we came across a very nice gemsbok and tried to make a stalk but were not able to get him in the sights. Not long after this, we ran across a herd of blue wildebeest that had several nice bulls in it including one that I had my crosshairs on for about five minutes. There was only one problem and that was the cow standing behind the bull. The herd finally became restless and moved out of sight. A little while later, we encountered a couple more very nice gemsbok bulls but before we could get set up, they slipped into very thick cover. This was the last stalk we thought we were going to make before we headed back for lunch until Deon spotted a lot of fresh sign and had his driver Beery turn up the road. Just after telling us that there was a good chance for a blue wildebeest being close by, we spotted them less than 100 yards away. We hopped off the truck and got set up on a very nice bull. I fumbled around with the shooting sticks because they were not set solid in the ground when I put my gun up on them. Deon asked me what I was doing with them and helped steady them for me. Once I confirmed which bull Deon was looking at and put him in my crosshairs, I began to squeeze the trigger. The shot went off perfectly striking the bull just behind the shoulder. Deon and Beery proceeded to track the animal which is no easy task in the conditions that were presented to them. It didn’t take them long as the bull had only gone about 100 yards and lay down. I finished him off and the congratulations were on. I had just killed a massive blue wildebeest that is very above average according to Deon and should score somewhere close to 29 inches Rowland Ward and could put me into gold status SCI. After pictures we loaded him into the back of the pick up truck and headed for the lodge. After a great meal of wildebeest casserole we headed back to the same location I had missed the 54 inch kudu the night before. We were only able to sit there for a total of about three hours but were able to watch a very nice bull for most of that time. I had a very hard time not taking this bull as he was pushing 50 inches but Deon said there are better and he would like to see me get a nicer one for the wall. Deon is a great guy and has been a wonderful PH (professional hunter). His wife Gigi, along with the help of Josiah has not prepared a bad meal yet. Everyone has been excellent. Winand and Beery have spent the whole time riding with us in or on the truck. Winand catered to us and made sure we always had what we needed while Beery flies into action after the kill by tracking the animal and then skinning it carefully but very quickly. Deon says that Beery capes and skins approximately 250 animals a year.

Day 5

Today started very slow as we drove through the brush. We only located one impala. It was a very nice ram and it was time for Tom to get a chance at an animal. As tom put the crosshairs on him, the ram decided he had hung around long enough and left Tom standing there without having pulled the trigger. After a couple of hours of not seeing much, Deon decided we should go sit at a water hole where kudu have been watering. After Deon, Beery, Winand, Larry, Tom, and myself constructed a ground blind, we sat and watched. It was not before we had a nice kudu bull come to water. As the kudu turned broadside, I had a shot but the camera did not. Once the bull moved into camera view, he was out of my shooting lane and continued to walk off without being fired at. For the next couple of hours we sat and watched several impala, warthogs, guinea fowl, and even another five kudu bulls come to water. None of them provided a shot as the wind was not in our favor and each and every one of them caught our scent. Because of the wind we decided to head back to the lodge for lunch. After lunch, we headed back to the blind to sit for the evening in hopes that the wind would cooperate and a kudu bull would make a mistake. On the way to the blind, the landowner told Deon of a rabid animal that was chasing his cattle. He asked Deon to take care of the animal. Deon took us to the animal and allowed me to shoot it to take it out of its misery. It turns out that I had shot a civet which is something most people do not get to see because they are nocturnal animals. With the civet dead we headed to the blind. As the afternoon passed, we watched guinea fowl, impala, and more warthogs come to water. About 3:30 a huge bodied warthog with very long tusks and warts that stuck out past the side of his body came to drink. As he tried to leave the water hole, I shot but hit him high in the back. Deon, Beery, and Winand went to find him but could not locate a blood trail or find him. Deon was concerned about the kudu that should still come in that evening so he came back to the blind and said he would bring his dog to find it the next day. I was sure that the gun shot would keep anything from coming back to water that night. About two hours from the time I shot at the warthog, a monster kudu bull approached. After shooting at the warthog I had ejected a cartridge and reloaded but as Deon had left the blind to look for the warthog, I decided to remove the bullet. About thirty minutes after setting there, Larry Sletten the camera man asked if I had a bullet ready to fire. I was sure I had reloaded but decided to check and make sure just in case I hadn’t during all of the excitement. I do not know why he decided to ask, but this turned out to be the question that would make the whole hunt. As I checked the gun, I had not reloaded. This could have been devastating because the monster bull I spoke of made a big mistake and stepped out into the open. With two ox peckers along for the ride on his back, he stepped out at about 100 yards. I shot and made a solid hit. As he ran off, Deon could tell that it was a good shot. Deon grabbed his tracker Beery and we proceeded to track the wounded bull. He didn’t make it far. As about 60 yards into the brush there he was. I finished him off with one more shot. As I approached the bull, he grew in size. Deon thought he was just over 50 inches, but when we go to him he said it was more like 53 inches or better. Later that night the landowner came by to see him and said he should measure between 55 and 56 inches. As I held the bull’s horns in my hands I became very emotional. This trip has been a roller coaster ride and I was at the very peak of the ride at that moment. I could not believe what had just happened. This moment will go down as one of the best moments in my life and definitely tops the list of best moments in my hunting career. Without a doubt, this has been a hunting trip of a lifetime not to mention the opportunity of becoming friends with some great people. Once we got back to the camp, I was able to call my wife and daughter on Larry Sletten’s satellite phone to tell them the great news. They were very happy for me and my daughter was very excited that I had not shot a zebra yet. I told her that I was not going to shoot one because I have chosen a gemsbok instead. It was so good talking to my wife and daughter as I was missing them so very much. One day I hope to bring them back with me to South Africa so they too can experience this great place. Who knows what the last day will bring, but maybe I will be able to find the warthog and also harvest a gemsbok. My biggest hope is that Tom will be able to harvest a warthog or an impala tomorrow so he can go home with a trophy of his own. The kudu is such a magnificent animal that words are hard to come by when explaining them. Everything on the kudu is awesome, from his massive spiral horns, his big ears, the markings on his face, the hair on the front and back of his neck, the stripes on his sides (nine to be exact), and his overall size. Deon guesses he weighs about 725 pounds. While standing there looking at the bull and waiting for some help to arrive so we could load it, our camera man Larry made a comment to Deon about how many stripes the kudu bull had. Tom and I not knowing any better were amazed that there were nine and Tom proceeded to ask if the stripes were an indication of his age of just what the stripes meant. Larry then told us that it meant he had nine stripes. Deon and everyone else busted out laughing at Tom’s expense. It just so turns out according to Deon that the bull is about eight or nine years old.

Day 6

Today we headed back to where I shot the warthog to see if we could track it down. After several hours of trying, with no luck we headed back to the lodge. After eating spaghetti made with impala, we went to the skinning shed to take a look at the kudu horns. Deon is not one who normally puts a tape to an animal while the client is around because he feels that it takes away from the actual hunt and what is being experienced. He is not worried as much about the score as he is about how satisfied his client is at the end of the hunt and this includes every aspect of the trip and not just the hunt itself. As we put the tape to it, he got very excited as he approached 50 inches and was still a little ways from the tip. When all was said and done, the bull measures 57 ¼ inches long and has 12 inch bases. According to Deon this is the equivalent of shooting a 400 class bull elk. He also said that it will take a gemsbok over 40 inches to match the kudu. With only a few hours of hunting left we better get moving. Deon took us to a new property this afternoon that had several nice gemsbok on the place. As we approached the waterhole we were going to sit, there were already several nice gemsbok and kudu watering. We positioned ourselves in a blind and prepared for the last hunt of the trip. It was not long before we had two gemsbok cows come to water. There were also several warthogs, guinea fowl, and even two huge kudu bulls that were over 50 inches. About twenty to twenty five head of gemsbok decided to come in all at once. There were several young bulls and several very big cows but all the cows that would score close to 40 inches were pregnant so we did not take them. As they milled around, we picked out the best bull and waited for the opportune time. After waiting for several minutes the bull made his last mistake and turned broadside to me with not other animals in front or behind it. I started to squeeze the trigger slowly to make sure I got off a good shot. The shot hit the bull right behind the shoulder and he went down within about 20 yards. What a great sight to see. After having to track the wildebeest and kudu and not finding the warthog, it was nice to have a perfect hit that put it down quick. As we approached the animal we could see he was a good bull. Deon claims he is a good average bull and should go somewhere in the mid 30’s and will look very nice on the wall as a trophy. He told me it is not very often that someone comes and does six days of hunting and has an opportunity to shoot the class of animals that I have this week. To be able to score on an above average blue wildebeest and an excellent kudu is phenomenal. I have had the most wonderful time here in South Africa with Ngwarati Safaris and Deon and Gigi. This will be a week that will never be forgotten. I want to thank my camera man Larry Sletten and Orion Multimedia for being so great to work with. Larry kept us laughing all week long even at my expense a couple of times. Last but certainly not least, I want to thank Tom Ackerman for supporting me and cheering me on throughout my hunt. He is a great Host and a very genuine guy. I consider him a very good friend and look forward to hunting or fishing with him in the future. Without all these people and the Lords willingness, I would not have had the opportunity to experience such an amazing trip and create so many great lasting memories. In his book titled Safari: A dangerous affair, Walt Prothero uses an old Swahili proverb: “He who has eaten honey will return to the hive.” I am sure one day I will return to South Africa as I have tasted of the honey and desire some more.

Hunting with Ngwarati Safaris is a way to make sure you never hunt with anyone else in the future. Deon and Gigi van Niekerk along with their staff make your stay world class and comfortable for anyone in your family no matter what their needs may be. As for the hunting, I couldn’t have asked for more or better opportunity than what they provided for me. Deon works very hard to make sure you have the hunting trip of a lifetime. I harvested a 57 inch kudu, 29 inch blue wildebeest, a nice gemsbok, and an impala. You will have many great memories and will never regret booking a hunt with Ngwarati Safaris.

Remember to hunt hard, shoot straight and God Bless.



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