This will be my first trip to Africa and was looking for advice on what will make a smooth and succesfull trip while hunting with my PH

Dilman
Is your PH an experienced "bow hunter PH"?
As a bow hunter I know you accept certain condititions, much like hand gun and black powder hunters.
You PH might become "fustrated/upset" due to the fact there will be times where a rifle hunter could have made a kill, where a bow hunter cannot.
You must reassure him that it is the way you have chosen to hunt, and that the "kill" is not as important as the "hunt".
I fully understand a persons desire to use a particular "tool" for the hunt.
When I went on my Alaskan Caribou hunt with a 450/400 double rifle the first thein the guide asked me was "Did you bring anything with a scope on it?"
I said "NO, I heard you are a pretty good guide and you can get me fairly close, I figure I can hit something as big as a caribou from 30 to 35 yards easy."
With a little more talk around the campfire he realized for me it was about the hunt with That rifle, not just about killing a caribou.
By the way I got 2 very nice ones.

Thanks for the reply. My PH is clear that I'm strictly a bowhunter. Although it is not a bowhunting only camp, he seems to understand the limitations and has successfully guided other bowhunters in the past.

In the "Do's" column: Bring a rifle.

I'm hoping it doesn't come to that. I'm not one of those self righteous bowhunters and would be willing to borrow a rifle if I was nearing the end of my trip without any trophies.

Congratulations on your clarity as to what's important to you. and best of luck.

I bowhunted Namibia 3 years ago. Got close, but collected no game with the bow. Missed a Hartebeest at 35 yards and a warthog at a measured 8 paces !! (first one jumped the string, second one I hit a branch) Borrowed a 30-06 and had a pretty good time playing catch-up.

My brother went to South Africa in '03 and did very well with a recurve - Wildebeest, Kudu, Impala, warthog. His key was knowing his range (max 21 yards) and having the patience to wait for the right moment. Didn't worry much about scent, but was very careful to use a 2-blade deep penetrating broadhead. Of course, that was with a recurve and penetration was a bit more of a challenge.

To do list:

If bow hunting, hunt on a bow hunting only property.

I'll second, third and forth Ann's comment. The two, very different kinds, of hunting are not compatable

Dilman: I think most importantly, you need to be able to recognize the game and make a judgment as to whether you want to take it or not. You can be much more selective when rifle hunting. I bow hunted RSA in 2003, while my wife rifle hunted the same properties. We were the only ones there, but it was obvious that this was not bow hunting only property. I did get a WartHog, Kudu, Springbok, and missed a Duiker. I could have taken several other respectable animals, but passed them up. The blinds I hunted out of were not very comfortable for shooting a bow out of.

What difference does it make whether the camp is archery only if the blinds are properly set up and no rifle hunting is allowed from them?

I with MR, take a rifle!!!