I have been conducting rifle hunting for the last 8 years in Namibia. Started with bowhunting, personally, 2 years ago and now busy introducing bowhunting.

What does a bowhunter expect from an African outfitter ?

1st and MOST important please remember everything we do & know revolves around being close and the closer the better.

2nd is the wind. It's our best friend & worst enemy.

For perminate blinds I'd recommend having something as a marker at 20 & 30 yrds away from the blind wind. We'll take it from there.

We NEED to CONCENTRATE before we loose an arrow. Wispering SHOOT, SHOOT, SHOOT in our ear IS NOT going to help. We(Most) of us know when it's right to let the arrow go.

Arrows DO NOT come straight out of a bow like a bullet comes out of a rifle. Those of us with Tradional gear need more side to side room for our arrows to straighten out.

Depending on where we hunt at home in the USA or Canada we may have differant comfort levels of where we can put an arrow. Some of us will amaze you with the way we can slip an arrow through a Cammel thorn bush. Then the same guys will NOT like a wide open shot.

We understand you might have to use that big double rifle you have. But we don't what you to use it unless there is know other way.

Good question OMUHONA. It is always vitally important to listen to the voice of the client!
Excellent advice Boss.
I think best is for you to do a lot of bowhunting yourself, from permanent blinds to temporary blinds to walk-and-stalk. I hunted with an open-sight 44 Magnum for years before moving to bow. Try to stalk guinea fowl! Right now, when I guide rifle clients to game, I am astonished to see how easy it has become to get to within 100 yards from the most skittish of animals.
Also, advertise for local (Namibian and South African) bow hunting clients and get their input too.
Success!
Lochi.

Very good answers Lochi and Boss!
Me I look for someone who will listen to what I say and want.
VERY IMPORTANT as I KNOW what I can and can't do as far as arrow flight goes. If I want to stalk the side of a hill as opposed to riding in the hunting car because of conditions ....

Bowhunting is about recognising patterns and acting on those you see to get close. My last trip, the area we hunted was very dry and the temps were low so the animals wern't moving much. I wanted to still hunt an area between the car trails around the property however I was told I couldn't as it is too thick. That was exactly what I was looking for as I believed the animals were holding very tight. So I accepted the word of the PH and didn't take anything at that ranch although I had several Nyala within bow range only they were VERY spooky.

In my own experience most gun hunters hunt too fast and cover too much ground. Again getting within 100 yards is one thing, within 20 something totally different.

My 2 cents

Maybe this might help you understand our American Bowhunting thought process. Most of us are not used to having a lot of shot oppertunitys per day in the field as you do in Africa near water. We're used to putting a lot of hours in just for game to be in range. Then of course there is the shot angle and the attitude of the game.

So when a decent animal comes in and offers the shot our instict is going to take over and we are going to want to sieze the moment. It will be frustrating when we want to shoot the average wildebeest even though the Roland Ward Elang is 50 75yrs. out. :^) Be paitent with us.

Thanks for all the advise and opinions so far.
Want to do it right the first time, so here is some more.

What size or dimension target is prefered and of what material ? I use a big grain bag stuffed with cotten and wool, but have difficulty extracting broadheads.

I build permanent blinds, big enough to anchor while standing, is this necessary, or is sitting also exceptable?


High blinds ? Have 6 m high blinds, that can be converted to bow blinds. Is this to high ?

Waidmannsheil !!

Hay bales make a great target stop for broadheads. Ideally it will be a sand pit with something to use as a target point of reference for broadheads. Remember broadheads are tough to remove because of how theyt are built so if I can shoot into a sand pit then I don't have to worry about removal.

As for blinds, I think it is a matter of comfort. I prefer shooting standing but if I had room to keep my legs out of the way of the bow at release then I'd shoot sitting. It takes a bit of thought to effectivly place a blind for the bowhunter. Plan the shooting window so that most shooters can shoot through it but not so big that they cannot get positioned for the shot. Also don't forget to make sure that there is no light shinning through the blind that the movement of the hunter getting set will disrupt. BTDT

Don't forget viewing slits to allow easy all around viewing. This is one of my falts with most permenant blinds I have seen. You visibality is limited and when game does appear in range, no time to get set for the shot.
Hope this helps

Greg - Good point on the sand. I use that myself.

In regaurd to your elevated blinds. I think your height of 6 meters if fine as most of us hang our tree stands at 15 to 20 feet. Most American bowhunters can shoot from the seated position. At one point or another I think we all have been in a situtation that demanded it.

Us Trad. guys will need a bit more room than the compound guys. My bow is 62" long and I cant it to the left so I need a bit more shooting room.