SOUTH AFRICA: First Safari With Monterra Safaris

This journey began in January 2025 at the DSC convention in Atlanta. Our youngest son was scheduled to graduate college in the Spring, and his baseball career would probably end then as well. As one chapter ends, so another one begins. With baseball travel over, we would focus on other travel plans. My boys and I do a lot of deer and duck hunting around the south and southeast US, and I take a yearly whitetail hunting trip to the Midwest. I had always dreamed of hunting Africa, Alaska, and other northern territories but had not, to this point, acted on those dreams. I saw an ad for the DSC convention in Atlanta, so we made plans to go.

Getting to Atlanta from our home in South Carolina was an adventure. A rare southern snowstorm had all but shut down I-20 from Augusta, Georgia on. We thought about turning back, however, I am glad we did not. I did not know at that time how life changing it was going to be to lock the truck in 4-wheel drive and sludge through to Atlanta.

After a slow, slick ride, we arrived safely at the convention center that afternoon and were ready to attend the show the next day. The next morning, we slowly worked our way up and down the aisles, soaking in all the exhibits and opportunities available. My wife was drawn in by a porcupine mount at the Monterra booth, and it must have been meant to be. We met Ross Hare, Owner/PH, and Jonathan Rademeyer, Manager/PH. We felt an instant connection with them. There was also one of their repeat clients in the booth with them, Jim. He is a fellow AH member and turned me onto the website and has been a great resource in our safari planning. We visited with them multiple times over the next two days.

Once we returned home and were able to check schedules and commitments, we booked with Monterra for June 2026. We spent some time with Ross, Jonathan, and Jim at the 2026 DSC and SCI conventions and it just confirmed that we had made the right decision. I am grateful for the wealth of information that I have gained from this site. It helped me tremendously with the preparation and planning processes. Finally, after months of anticipation and preparation, it was time to go!



OUTFITTER: Monterra Safaris
LOCATION: Northern Limpopo Province
HUNTERS: Me ( Jim), and our two sons, Zach and Travis
OBSERVER: Kim ( Wife)
PHs: Ross Hare - Owner/PH
Jonathan - Manager/PH
Heinrich - PH
CJ - Apprentice PH
TRACKERS: Spider and Eddie
FIREARMS: Bergara Premier 375 H&H ( Leupold VX-6HD 1-6x24)
Christensen Arms Mesa 300 WM ( Leupold VX-6HD 3-18x50)
AMMO: 375 H&H 300 grain A-Frames
300 WM 200 grain A-Frames

Travel Days: We flew United from Myrtle Beach, SC to Newark, NJ and then direct from Newark to Johannesburg. I guess the guy at the United desk in Myrtle Beach was more used to checking in golf clubs than rifles. After some initial difficulty he was able to figure it out. We had a long layover in Newark. We did not know what to expect since this would be our first international flight, so my wife upgraded our tickets. This gave us access to the nice United lounge that made time pass easier.



We arrived in Johannesburg late in the day and were met by Ross, Jonathan, and the Phasa rep. The Phasa rep whisked me through the retrieval of the firearms and checked baggage with the ammo. We then departed for the Afton Lodge to overnight. We arrived at the Afton Lodge after dark, so we didn’t get to see much of the grounds. The inside of the lodge was very nice and we all enjoyed looking at the taxidermy and African decorations. The staff was very friendly and we had an excellent dinner. The plan was to leave early to beat the Johannesburg traffic, so we all went to bed early.





We woke up early for a quick breakfast and then hit the road just before daylight. Ross and Jonathan did not waste any time getting out of town. My first African sunrise was beautiful and we all enjoyed seeing the new-to-us sights during the 5+ hour drive to the lodge, especially when we got off the main highway. We spotted some game animals along the way, and made a few stops, including at the Black Mamba Art and Curio store in Vaalwater. We also stopped at Bullseye Taxidermy. Our outfitter uses them and we were very impressed by the quality of their work and the size of their operation.






We arrived at the lodge around midday, met everyone and then got unloaded. The lodge is beautiful and the staff are great. We were treated to an excellent lunch and then we left to go check the rifles. The Pelican case had done its job and the rifles had arrived still dialed in. I got to shoot a buffalo target on a track system. My sons and I had practiced as much as we could off bipods, tripods, and quad sticks in preparation for the hunt so after a few shots, everybody was comfortable.






The range is on the banks of the Limpopo River and after we finished shooting, Ross took us further down the river to look for some elephants that had crossed over from Botswana. We found the destructive evidence they had left behind but unfortunately did not see the elephants that day. We did see a troop of baboons and a nice waterbuck. As we approached a turnaround spot, there was a slight tapping on the roof. Someone had spotted a nice bushbuck across a branch of the river. We pulled down the road, and a plan was made for Travis to get the first shot. My excitement level was at an all-time high as I watched them slip out of sight to put a stalk on the bushbuck. I took a moment to thank the Lord, not only for a safe trip over here but also for the opportunity for my family to have this experience. The bushbuck busted them as they approached but it was exciting for the first stalk to have been executed.

We finished the day with a sundowner on a beautiful deck built on the bank of a branch of the river. Not only did we enjoy good food and drink, but we were also entertained by some smaller crocodiles and hippos in the river right in front of the deck. My whole family was excited about what tomorrow would bring.

Day 1: I would be hunting buffalo with Jonathan and his tracker, Spider. Kim, Zach, and Travis would be hunting plains game with Ross, Heinrich, CJ, and tracker Eddie. We drove to a location where some lone bulls were known to frequent, and it wasn’t long before we had cut a fresh track and the hunt was on. We slowly tracked the bull through some thick brush, probably covering the better part of a mile before closing the distance. Jonathan had told me that Spider was the best tracker he had ever worked with and to watch them work as a team to interpret what the bull was doing was truly a privilege. The bull was in some very thick stuff, and we had narrowed the gap. As Jonathan and Spider were planning our next move, a slight wind shift got us and the bull thundered out of there. To hear that bull break out of there was awesome. Even though unseen, you could tell he was massive. Although my first stalk in Africa was unsuccessful, it was still very exciting to me. We ended up making a couple more stalks that day that were unsuccessful due to either swirling winds or the Grey go-away birds.

My wife and sons were having better success on another part of the property. Zach got things started with a nice blue wildebeest. Travis then shot a very nice warthog and then followed up with a beautiful sable. We were on the board and had some animals in the salt. Later that afternoon, Jonathan had Spider cut down a small tree and we drug several roads in the hope we could find some fresh buffalo tracks in the morning.

Very Nice!

Day 2:

Just like the previous day, I headed out with Jonathan and Spider, while Kim and the boys went with Heinrich. We got an early start so we could get to where Jonathan wanted to be as it was breaking daylight. It wasn’t long before we had cut three sets of tracks that were together and headed into some thick brush. Jonathan and Spider felt like these bulls were headed into there to bed down. We gave them a little time and then headed in.

Even though the brush was thick, it was inter mixed with some more open areas. This required us to move slowly ahead in a crouched position or even crawling at times. We did this for several hundred yards and then the intensity changed. I could tell by the look on their faces that we were getting close. We switched to butt-scooting at this time. We butt scooted for probably 30-40 yards and then some oxpeckers dropped in by a couple of trees on the edge of some thicker stuff. After glassing, Jonathan indicated that he could see the bulls were under those trees, but we needed to get closer so he could have a better look at them and for a possible shot.

We continued butt-scooting for probably another 50 yards or so, with Jonathan glassing as we went along. Jonathan stopped behind some bushes and motioned for me to come up beside him. The bulls were about 35 yards away and we were as close as we could get. The bull in the middle was going to be my target bull. The plan was for us to stand up together and for me to get into the sticks as we stood up. As we stood up, Jonathan made a bellow type noise to get the buffalo to stand up. The bulls stood up, with the middle bull staring right at us. I was locked in and the shot from my 375 looked good. A frontal shot buckled the bull hard, but he recovered quickly and busted out of there with the other bulls. Due to the route they took, there wasn’t much of an opportunity for a good follow up shot.

Jonathan said the shot looked good and he did not expect the bull to go far. We let things settle down and then started the tracking job. We were on good blood quick, with Jonathan and Spider stating that the bull had been hit in the lungs. We stayed on good blood for 100 yards, then 200 yards. The bull would stop and leave a pool of blood and then start moving again. At this point, we decided it would be best to give him some more time, so we backed off and called for Eddie, the other tracker, just to give us a little more help. They suspected that I may have just taken out one lung. Not a good feeling for me. Buffalo are as tough as advertised. They can apparently go a long way on a half tank.

We resumed the track after Eddie had joined us. The blood trail became sporadic at times. It was at this point I decided that Spider could probably track a squirrel across a Walmart parking lot. He stayed on the buffalo the entire time, even when we jumped a small herd of buffalo and their tracks intermingled with our buffalo’s tracks. Jonathan told me that our job was to look up while the trackers were looking down following the trail. I let him know that he had the green light when we caught up to the buffalo. After reading some of the stories on this site and in recent media, I did not want him or the trackers to get hurt by a wounded buffalo.

The bull was slowing down, and we were catching up to him. The trackers indicated that we were close, so they dropped back and Jonathan and I began crawling towards some thick bush where the buffalo had stopped. Two shots from my 375 and a finisher from Jonathan’s 500 NE and it was over. We said a prayer of respect and thanks over the buffalo and then we all sat down and waited for my family and the rest of the team to work their way in there. I had been on an emotional rollercoaster for several hours by this time and only after it was over could I feel the effects of the adrenaline wave. The cold beers that CJ brought in with him were more than welcome.

I hate that I did not get a quick, clean kill on this buffalo. As I have read on here and more I learn, the margin of error on a frontal shot is small. Like Jonathan said, “ Some buffalo are one shot buffalo, and some buffalo are five shot buffalo”.







The feeling I got from hunting buffalo is indescribable. I am not done with them yet.

Day 3:
I had purchased a crocodile permit with the thought of hunting a crocodile. After taking the buffalo, I decided to eat the crocodile permit and expand our plains game list. Zach and I had taken a big gator on a nuisance tag at my neighbor’s farm just a couple of days before we came on this trip. I will save the crocodile for a return trip.

Zach joined up with me, Jonathan and Spider while Travis and Kim continued to hunt with Heinrich. We left the lodge that morning with the plans to look for a kudu. When we arrived at a small river that was almost dry, we had a nice nyala cross the road. As the saying goes “ take what the bush gives you”. We took the trail of the nyala and slowly began tracking him. We tracked him for a long way before we caught up with him. We worked in close and Zach made a clean shot dropping him right there. Jonathan had said the leopards have been working on the nyala around here and that was only one of the few he had seen recently.



We got text messages that Travis had taken a beautiful golden wildebeest. As we drove to meet them, we got another text that he had made a long shot on an old zebra stallion. The stallion was missing his tail and scarred up from fighting with other zebras. We finished the day up with a nice game ride and a sundowner watching some hippos.






Day 4:
The next day we decided to work as a group and see if we could locate an eland bull. We looked most of the morning until Heinrich and Eddie located where a bull had crossed into some open bush. We drove to where they were at and Jonathan, Spider and Zach took up the trail. They tracked the bull for a couple of hours, bumping him on one occasion, before finally getting a shot. He was a beautiful bull, and we were amazed how big he was. It took awhile to get him loaded up and out of the bush. We just took it easy for the rest of the day, enjoying a nice sundowner that night.

Day 5:
We stayed together again this day to see if we could locate a kudu bull. Several kudus had been spotted along the side of the river where they had been crossing back and forth from the Botswana border. The islands that separate the many branches of the river were part of the property we were hunting on. A bull was located out in the islands with a group of cow kudu. Only glimpses of him could be seen so we had to cross over onto the islands to get a better look at him. Jonathan, Zach, and I started out on our quest for the bull. We waded across one of the many river branches and got up on an island across from the island where the kudu had been spotted. We sat and glassed for what seemed like a long time and then the cows started working their way towards the edge. Since the rut was still on, we knew the bull wouldn’t be far behind. We butt-scooted up to the top and edge of the island that we were on and waited. It happened fast. The bull worked his way down to the edge bumping the cows. Jonathan made a quick assessment and told me to shoot. I ended up free handing him while in the butt-scoot position. The bull was hit hard, and he turned and ran across the river branch separating us, headed straight for us. He ran over the island we were on and crashed into the branch behind us. We were right behind him, only to find him lying dead in the river. It was a hunt I will never forget. I had always dreamed of taking a kudu bull. The bull was a good one for this area and as a bonus, had a “ third horn”. Ross said that was only the second one he had ever seen like that in this area.








We spent the afternoon trying to get on a gemsbok, however, they proved more elusive than anticipated.

Day 6:
Over an excellent dinner the night before, Ross and Jonathan informed us that we were only a bushbuck away from completing a spiral slam. Say no more. We would have to try and get a bushbuck. We split up again this morning, with Kim and Travis heading out to look for a gemsbok, and we would go back to the river and look for a bushbuck. We had seen a nice bushbuck down there previously and Jonathan had seen several nice rams in that area recently. It had taken all the previous day for our boots to dry out from the kudu hunt so today we would go prepared. Jonathan took his water shoes and Zach and I wore our tennis shoes. I should probably send that in to OnCloud. Probably not every day that their shoes are used for a stalk on the Limpopo riverbanks.

We slowly worked our way along the riverbeds and through the islands, glassing as we moved along. Although we did not encounter them, there had been a lot of recent elephant traffic in and around the river. Jonathan and Spider have eyes like eagles. We came to the point of an island and they both froze. There was a very nice bushbuck feeding on the side of another island about 125 yards away. Jonathan glassed him and said he was a shooter. I couldn’t even see him with my binoculars because he was tucked back under some tree branches. How they saw him, I will never know.

Jonathan eased the sticks up and Zach got into them for the shot. The first I saw of the ram was when he was rolling down the bank into the river. Jonathan said we needed to hurry over and get him out of the river before a crocodile got him. We navigated our way to the ram and recovered him without any crocodile interference. He was a beautiful animal, and along with the flowing river and scenery, it was an awesome hunt. Our spiral slam had been completed.





Kim and Travis were having their own adventures. Heinrich had led them on a few unsuccessful stalks for gemsbok. The gemsbok proved very wary and getting on a good one was proving difficult. One of their stalks was busted when they had an aardwolf cut between them and the gemsbok. The PH’s said that it was unusual to see one out like that in the daylight.

Their group came up on a python while they were traveling down the road. CJ tried to catch it, but it escaped into a brush pile before he could. A black mamba was also spotted from the truck, raising its head above the grass but disappearing quickly. We were driving back to camp for lunch, having just refreshed some bush pig baits, and Spider spoke in Afrikaans for Jonathan to stop. He had seen a snake off the side of the road. Jonathan backed up and just off the side of the road, a huge black mamba was laying there sunning himself. He quickly retreated into a warthog hole. It had been cold that morning but warmed up fast, possibly explaining the snake activity as they tried to warm themselves.







Day 7:
We split up again this morning, with Kim, Travis, and Heinrich resuming their search for a gemsbok. We headed out in search of zebra. Late in the morning, a lone gemsbok was spotted casually feeding through some fairly open bush. With the wind in their favor, Heinrich and Travis were able to position themselves so the gemsbok would work its way to them. Travis made a good shot and we had our gemsbok. I was proud when we got the message that he had shot the gemsbok. It is such a beautiful and iconic African animal.

We covered a lot of ground looking for zebra. We finally located a small group on the edge of one of the open plains areas. They were a long way off, but a plan was made. Jonathan and Zach started on the long stalk and Spider and I stayed back at the bakkie. Due to the wariness of the zebra and the swirling winds, it was a long, slow stalk. Finally, a shot rang out. Spider gave a thumbs up and we headed their way. Zach had taken a beautiful, mature zebra.

Awesome

Congrats on a great first safari…
Won’t be your last I bet lol
That’s how it works

Day 7 continued:
Earlier in the week while we were hunting my buffalo, we came across a very old, well past her breeding years, cow buffalo. Jonathan said that we should try and take her later in the hunt, depending on how the rest of the safari was going. Jonathan mentioned it to Ross and he made me a great offer if we were to cross paths with the cow again. The staff had a big sundowner planned for us this afternoon and we were all looking forward to it. We decided to do a game ride before the sundowner, and we went near the area where we had spotted the cow earlier. We came around a corner and spotted the cow off the side of the road. She had been running with three young bulls and they took off as soon as they saw us. We kept driving past where they took off into the brush and stopped farther down the road.

Jonathan radioed the staff and cancelled this afternoon’s sundowner. We were going to try and catch up with this cow. We drove a good way to get the proper wind, and Jonathan, Spider, and Zach took out after the buffalo. The rest of us stayed back at the bakkies, reliving the events of the week so far and soaking in the African sights and sounds.

They had been gone for a long time, and we started to wonder if it was going to happen. Then a shot rang out way off in the distance. It sounded like they were about a mile away. Not long after, another shot rang out and we knew it was a done deal. We drove close to where they were and they met us at the road. They had bumped the buffalos but stayed after them and eventually caught up with them again.

She was an ancient cow and you could tell by her body that she was on the decline. She needed to be taken and we are thankful to Ross and Jonathan for the opportunity.








Day 8:
Our big trophies were in the salt, but we still needed an Impala. We split up again this morning with the hopes on at least one of the groups getting a nice ram impala. It wasn’t long before we came up on a group of impalas with two nice rams trying to kill each other. I am well familiar with the rutting grunt of a whitetail, but the guttural growl of a ram impala was impressive. I got on the sticks, but the rams never stopped chasing each other before they ran off deeper into the bush. We continued searching and eventually came up on another group with a nice ram in it. We moved closer and got the sticks set up. The ram hit an opening about 100 yards away and we had our impala. Later that morning, we got the message that Travis had connected on a nice impala ram. It was a good morning.






We had a great sundowner that afternoon. It was done in a thatched gazebo that was built on top of a large kopje. The views from the gazebo were awesome and it was a great experience to watch the African sunset from that view. Great company, food and drink, and conversation that went well into the night.







Day 9:
The Monterra logo is a waterbuck that Ross’ father shot many years ago. The shoulder mount of that huge waterbuck hangs prominently over the fireplace in the lodge. Our safari had been more than I could have ever imagined up to this point, and I could not have been more satisfied. But by now I had stared at that waterbuck for over a week. Kim and I decided we should try and get a waterbuck while we are here. We had seen some nice bulls down by the river during previous hunts.

We all left the lodge in the morning and headed for the banks of the river. Jonathan knows that area very well and said he knew where some waterbucks may be. Jonathan, Zach and Travis headed down the side of the river while the rest of us stayed back. Kim and I walked down to the river and she got some great pictures. They were gone for 1-2 hours and we heard a shot. Jonathan radioed Heinrich and we headed towards where they had made the shot.

When we got to them, there was no waterbuck. The waterbuck had been standing about 125 yards away and Zach said he felt good about the shot. There was no blood or evidence of a hit. Spider and Eddie began tracking the way the bull ran, and we stayed back not wanting to mess them up. It wasn’t long before Jonathan received a radio call from Spider and I could see him smile. They were talking in Afrikaans, so I wasn’t exactly sure of what was going on but I had an idea. Jonathan told Zach that Spider said he had made a “ terrible shot” with a smile on his face. As Jonathan started leading Zach to where the trackers were, he motioned for us to come along. We worked our way along a dry riverbed and came up on some open bush. Jonathan and Spider were talking and pointing to the opposite side of the open area. Jonathan led Zach in a way that looked like he was positioning him for a follow up shot, pointing, moving, and backing up for a clear view. He backed Zach right into a stone-dead waterbuck. The shot had been good. It was a good prank, and we all got a good laugh about it.






We finished the afternoon having a few beers and fishing in a pond that has 4-5 resident hippos and some small crocodiles.

A great family safari. Congratulations!

Y’all got some really nice animals! Super trip with your family!

Great story and pictures! I will say, your "black mamba" looks much more like an African rock python to me- definitely something I'd love to see for myself. Thanks for sharing!

My wife took the first snake picture from another truck. It is definitely a rock python. I took the next picture of the mamba sliding down into the warthog hole in a different location.

Congratulations on your first trip. What a blessing to experience this with your family. Beautiful pictures, and nice trophies. Great stories.......

Congratulation of a fine first safari and great family trip!

Now the planning for the second begins.

Very nice 1st trip. Yeah, Monterra has always piqued my interest also. Great group over there.

Day 10

Our list was long and our pile in the salt was big. Today would be a day that we just enjoyed ourselves with no real agenda. We tried to get on some baboons that morning and had a couple of long, running shots but unfortunately did not connect. We climbed some of the higher kopjes and took a bunch of pictures. We did some long range shooting on the airstrip. We all got into one bakkie and rode around shooting francolin with a 22 LR. Eddie was more than happy to take the birds when we were done.

The staff had prepared a wonderful last night dinner for us. They set up an elaborate spread on one of the many plains on the property. We sat beside a roaring fire as the chef cooked filets from each of the animals we had taken over an open flame. We had a toast to the animals and the experience.








We needed to leave early the next day to get to the airport. The staff had taken all of our trophies out of the salt room and arranged them for a group shot.




I was ready to get home but I hated to leave at the same time. The trip home was long and relatively uneventful. One minor incident with our souvenir ostrich eggs and the Newark customs officials.

Ross and his family, Jonathan and Karlien, and the entire Monterra staff were great. We joked and laughed the entire time, but when we were in the field, they are true professionals. We came as guests/ clients and left feeling like family. We were already planning our next trip before we left.

JE245 said:

My wife took the first snake picture from another truck. It is definitely a rock python. I took the next picture of the mamba sliding down into the warthog hole in a different location.

Click to expand...

Oops!! Just reread your post....cant believe I missed the word "python"....sorry about that!

Great hunt congrats !

I remember the Black Mamba shop from my trips to the Limpopo it´s worth a visit.

That buff is really good, warthog is not bad either

Congratulations on a great trip!

Congrats on a fantastic trip. I hunted with Heinrich 2 years ago. He's a great PH.