I would like to have a couple of pointers from bow hunters.
I have been an outfitter (Africa) since 91 and I have never been able to book a bow hunter. Had a couple of enquiries but that’s that.
What is your main consideration in booking a hunt?
1. Price.
2. Word of mouth (advertisement).
3. Location.
4. Hunt all the species at one concession.
5. Size of concession.
6. Method of hunting (blind, walk & stalk).
7. How big a group of hunters per hunting party.
8. Any other pointers are welcome.

Your list of considerations is complete and all of the above will be considerations for each bowhunter. Each individual will prioroitize your list differently but I think each will play a part. One consideration you've omitted is if the concession is bowhunting only or shared with rifle hunting. While arguable, it is percieved by bowhunters that rifle hunting, even when conducted in the absence of bowhunting, deminishes the success rate of bowhunters. Additionally you'll have to get your clients close to the game whether stalking or with blinds. We all like to thump our chest as to how good we are, and how far we can shoot, but speaking for myself, any distance beyond 25 yards is very marginal for Impala, Warthog, Bushbuck and other creatures that have trip wire reflexes.It's not that I can't hit beyond that range, hell that's a chip shot at target bags, but in the real world those animals may be hell and gone by the time my arrow gets there.

Cheers

Bamabow - well said
The statistics show that 90% of all game killed in North America with a bow were killed between 17-19 yards.

Whether we hunt from ground blinds, tree seats or stalking I wouldn't want to take a shot over 30 yards with a bow, and I'm in agreement with Bamabow, 25 yards is pushing it.

I've been a competitive tournament/target archer since childhood in the 50s so it isn't about accuracy. It's purely a practical application to bowhunting, especially those of us who hunt with a recurve or longbow.

Most bowhunters will not pay an outfitter to hunt on the same tracks that gun hunters hunt on for two reasons. We feel the game have been more spooked by the presence of gun hunters and the more casual way they approach and move through the hunting area. And the fact that the game has been spooked by the sound of gunfire.

We have to be much more diligent in our hunting techniques.
Good blinds or stands
Good recongnition of animal movement through a specific funnel area. Ambush points.
Camouflage
Scent control
Local knowledge of wind patterns and approach corridors to hunting areas via downwind.

For myself, the decission was based on the fact that the outfitter IS a Bowhunter himself.

You folks in RSA has a grand tradition & heritage in RIFLE hunting. BOWHUNTERS and rifle hunters look at hunting through differant eyes! Not that one is better....there are just differant. I beleive the sucess rate for Bowhunters in the field here in the USA is around 20%....we understand that we have challenged ourself with a short range weapon. Because of that challenge we know what we need to be sucessful.


I let a "oppertunity" at a "book" 60" Kudu pass because of poor shot angle and took the "ave" wildebeest in my pic. And I couldn't be prouder of my 1sy African kill and namesake.

I would offer that you hire a experience PH that is a bowhunter or at least one that is proficant with a bow.

We realy only have two propershots broadside & a 1/4 away. We can't force a shot. Most of us will let a good animal walk vs. wounding him. Most of us have a hard time with a over zealous PH that is going to finish our kill for us, vs, allowing the game to die. BTW studys show that a heart lung arrow WILL kill just as fast as a riffle round.

Bow hunters are not accustioned to starting a hunt at a "proper" time. We're used to walking out in the dark 2 hrs before dawn to set-up.

We're also very independant...mostly hunting alone. It's hard for us to hunt with a PH, of course we understand that's how it's done. A good realtionship will over come this.

For example I had a lot of great animals "stage" in the bush until after shoot light BEFORE coming to water(Pit blind). I know that if I could of had a treestand 30-50 meters in that bush on the approach to that water, I could have been very sucessful. (I still had a great hunt) If my PH would have be a little more interested in asking me about what I saw & thought I would have had a better time.

For 1st time American hunters, I think it's very intimidating to deal with an outfitter in Africa. An American booking agent would lessen those mostly unfounded fears.

Bowhunters tend to resent fences, even though we only command a 25yrds area around out treestand or blind.

We are an increasing market for your industry. Business wise you can put several of us on a property in blinds & treestands without hindering each other hunts.

Most of us will track a non-fatal hit game animal here at home for days. "just shoot another" is NOT acceptible for most of us.

While price is always a concern, the hunt itself is more important. It does seem like prices are going up rapidly in your part of the world. I hunted plains game near Mesina in '01. On my return I started looking into A Cape Buff hunt. Back then they were around 8K in Zim & Moz. now I can't find one for less that 10K.

You may want to consider becoming a Sponsor of the Bowsite(www.bowsite.com). Here is link to the African Forum on the site

http://www.bowsite.com/biggame/section.cfm?gameid=18

The Bowsite is "THE" Bowhunting site on the net. I've hunted with the owner, Pat is an outstanding huntter & good man. If you do post there please don't advertise WITHOUT being a sponsor, it's very bad form and you most likely be edited off.

I'm a bow hunter who would love to go to Africa. I got a pretty good education about bow hunting outfitters last fall. You almost have to be a bow hunter to understand us. Shooting at very disciplined ranges, I will not shoot over 25yds, and then the shot has to be perfect, I prefer 20 yds. The area we like to hunt has to be kind of "sterile". We like to hunt undisturbed game, we like to hunt where there isn't alot of man/predator scent, our game animals need to be relaxed. Most of us can't jump a deer out of his bed and hit him running with a bow. We also need to hunt alone,at the ranges we need to be, two people is double the scent and double the movement in and around the blind or treestand. If you need a guinea pig let me know. Thanks Chain

quote:

Originally posted by Huntertaxi:
I would like to have a couple of pointers from bow hunters.
I have been an outfitter (Africa) since 91 and I have never been able to book a bow hunter. Had a couple of enquiries but that’s that.
What is your main consideration in booking a hunt?
1. Price. This is a big consideration. Check out the prices that are advertised for bowhunting only.
2. Word of mouth (advertisement). Having a bowhunter or two for reference is very important.
3. Location. Not that important.
4. Hunt all the species at one concession. No concession has all species, but most bowhunters would like several major species available.
5. Size of concession. Bigger is always better.
6. Method of hunting (blind, walk & stalk). Blinds set up specifically for bowhunters are a big plus. I like to walk and stalk as well, but success is much better at waterholes.
7. How big a group of hunters per hunting party. Groups should not be mixed, but 5 or 6 that come together is fine.
8. Any other pointers are welcome.

I hunted with bow in 2003 while my wife hunted with rifle in the same area. The blinds that I hunted from were not actually set up for a bowhunter. One was very difficult to get a shot off from, although I did get a Warthog and Springbok. We built the blind that I took my Kudu from. I took nothing while walking and stalking, though I missed a great Duiker.

BLINDS.......GREAT POINT!!!

I hunt with a 62" Recurve that I cant slightly. So I need some room to move. I can not slip my arrow through a 2" slit in a curtian like my compound hunting brothers.

So I have to step to the back of the blind & open the curtian at least 1/2 meter, due to the flight of my arrow off the bow.

Tank you a lot of all the information.
When I did my licence in 91 I did the bow, handgun and big five licence.
I most probably will have my own bow at the end of June/ July.
I have my own taxidermy shop and a friend of mine will be guiding a client who will be shooting all his game with a bow (big five plus plains). I have of sorts made a deal with the clients; in doing some work for him in exchange for the bow that way I will have a good bow and well set up one as well.
I do have concessions that are bow only and most are bow and gun. Lets say 90 % are mixed.
Bow hunting has become very popular and is still growing here in SA. In my town the numbers has grown a lot over the past couple years. The local hunters take push pig and bush buck mostly.
Regarding the blinds. I have seen some blinds that only the guy who has built it will be able to let an arrow loose. LOL.

I would like to do a test bow hunt with some clients one of these days.
I am not trying to do a sale here but I am sure that if you could come out and do a hunt at cost it will be beneficial for both parties.
One of my concessions can take up to 16 bow hunters at any given time.
Think about it.

Once again your info has been a great help and it has change my viewpoint considerable.
Cheers

B. K.: One of the blinds I shot out of in 2003 was a photographic blind at a waterhole. I shoot both compound and recurve, but there's no way I could use my recurve in that blind. It had a bench set up with a window at eye level when you were seated. I had to get off the bench, draw the bow down low and then rise to take a shot. I had a Duiker come in too close to the wall to get a shot at.

Huntertaxi: If you have anymore questions, let me know. I plan on hunting Limpopo or another good Bushbuck area next time, also would like to get Nyala. I hunted the Kalahari last time.

JD - Yep I sat on a water tank in a blind the size of a port-o-potty. I found a position that I could just draw my bow in perfect target form but my bow hand would be out of the blind window...Sheesh!!

I was hope on of the Zebras that like that tank would be having a stupid moment. However an ostrage decided that he would own that tank that day...It was so comical I had to lauh about it. After 5 hrs. I even threw an apple core at that big stupid chicken...he ate it.

Thinking back on it I should have punched his ticket.

"I was hoping one of the Zebras that liked that tank would be having a stupid moment. Hoqwever an OSTRIDGE"



I think I better find my reading glasses. Do they make a 3x scope for a trad bow?

B.K.: One of the other blinds was a water tank like you're talking about. I never took a shot out of it because nothing came in but Warthogs, Momma and babies. Didn't have much confidence in this blind when a big thunderstorm came through. It was pretty tall, without a tree in sight. There was a great big poisonous spider in the top of the tank.

As the level of knowledge and number of hunters increase the most common complaint is that many African operators are looking at bowhunting as an "add-on", to supplement their seasons. Sharing a property w/rifle hunters or coming in after a rifle hunt is considered a no-no.The few top-flight bowhunting ONLY outfits are fully booked(Melorani in RSA is now booking 2007-8!).

We do get to get trip-out over fences.

Maybe it's our competive drive with our fellow bowhunters?

I can hear the campfire storys now. "Back in '05 I killed a Elephant with my barehands on my RSA hunt."

Your buddys, "Yeah, but it was on fenced property"

The areas I hunted in the Kalahari were fenced, cattle fences just like is all over Western U. S. The Kudu I shot came over 2 fences to get to the spot where I shot him. The blind we made was a bunch of green limbs tied to the fence, with an open metal gate serving as another side. I had a folding chair in the middle of this.

Huntertaxi

Your idea of making an offer to a bowhunter to come over and help you get set-up is a good idea.I did this a couple years back with an PH in Namibia.He had limited experience with bow hunters but was an experienced PH and hunter.He wanted to learn and to cater specifically to bowhunters .

We would hunt from his blinds and sort of try each one out.Some needed to be more heavily brushed.Others needed to be enlarged,some waterholes repositioned for reasons that just never occurred to someone with limited bowhunting experience.

We had a great hunt and the PH was able to fine tune his property for future bowhunters and could also honestly claim to have some experience guiding bowhunters.

Just be honest enough with your prospective client to be sure he is aware he is coming on a trial run and try to select a hunter with lots of bowhunting experience at home and also in Africa.

I have to agree on one major point!
I'm 6'5" and shoot a 64" recurve.
If I couldn't hunt comfortably from the blinds I would be very upset to have spent the money to get there and not be able to hunt from the available setups.