Tipping a guide

[mnhoundman]

I've guided many a hunter as well as have been guided.

A deer antelope hunt I usually get between $3-700, but the gifts are what I remember. Leica binoculars, Spotting scope, Knife.
Elk hunts that require alot more skill and work we usually get $500-$1000

Here are the worst case stories I have:
The one time I had an unsuccessful hunt with an outfitter, the guide busted his butt for us, we put over 95 miles on our boots that week. He got me on 1 elk and I flat out missed with my bow. I still tipped him $650, and a custom knife.

I once guided for a shady outfitter in an area with few elk, I hunted my butt off for the client. I still received a $600 tip with orders NOT to share with the horrible cook, or outfitter. and words of affermation - "your a 5 star guide working in a 1 star operation"

Best tip I ever received was from an old farmer in Ohio, He handed me an envelope. On it wrote, Thank you for fulfilling my lifelong dream, you gave me the hunt I drempt and saved up for since I came back from the war in 1964. Your welcome to come hunt whitetail on my property with your boy anytime free of charge. In the envelope was $100. *This tip changed the way I guided clients forever.

I don't know much about guiding and probably will never go on a guided hunt, but you're last paragraph says it all! I hope you feel lucky to have guided that man, I know I would be!

 

[ivorytip]

personally I think its a joke that a guide/ outfitter would ever imply what they expect as a tip. I understand there are guides and outfitters on this forum and this is just my opinion here, no offense intended. guided hunts are not cheap, I know a lot of outfitters jack prices up a tad to cover shoddy tippers. don't ever ever expect a tip. it seems to be this expectation, for doing a job. if a guy is able to afford a tip then im sure he/she will what they see fit or what they can afford. when ever I see something that talks about expectations for tips, or that says tips are included in price.... I walk away. don't expect me to pay a tip before service is even been unfolded in front of me. I like a lot of what has been said on this thread. I run a lawn business and my crew and I all bust our butts and we don't do it for tips. I pay them well and ive made it known to the crew to first decline tip in a nice way, and then if customer insists that thank customer, and then send them a thank you card. I charge the customer what I need in return. when service is done right, they reward me. some of my older customers who don't have much to their name gets free service a lot of the time or surprise discounts.

 

[sneakypete]

You're a good man Ivorytip!

 

[ivorytip]

sneakypete, if you ever want a "guided" hunt in south and eastern side of Idaho let me know good luck in BC, looking forward to story and pics!!

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

I've been on a few guided hunts and I have been on lots of long range, multiday sportfishing trips. I also used to work on a sportfishing day boat in southern California. I personally think the whole tipping thing has gotten out of hand. Many years ago when I worked on the fishing boat, we worked for min wage, similar to what a waiter/waitress does. We busted our butts to earn tips and when we got them, we thanked the customer heartily. The multiday long range trips were very expensive (20 years ago $125 to 150 per day) and are much more so today (2 to 300), with fuel surcharges and fish cleaning fees on top of that. I only tipped when the service was exceptional.

On guided hunting trips, I only tip the individuals I think earn them. I don't like to tip the whole outfit which are to be later divided up. This rewards guides and other people that I didn't have any exchange with. I do like to give something in addition to money to my own personal guide or wrangler. I also like to have something for the "camp jack" and cook if they really go out of their way to make THE TRIP EXCEPTIONAL.

I've been on good and bad trips, both hunting and fishing, that were good and bad, and I am not talking about catching & killing. The great trips really stick out in my mind as do the bad ones. Usually trips that are bad eventually catch up to the owner of the service and they either fix it or fold up shop. I've seen both.

 

[sneakypete]

Ivorytip, thanks for the invite I may take you up on that one or meet you for a few beers and dinner! I am looking forward to my BC trip in fact I went to the range yesterday and shot pretty well. I leave Thursday for SouthDakota for snow geese which sounds like we may hit it just right! I hope Lol.

 

[ivorytip]

those snow geese have shown up in huge numbers all across the country! sounds fun. well said CC.

 

[480/277]

10% is kind of standard for guided hunts where they knock it out of the park. Zero is ok if they don't. I'd tip the cook $10-$20 a day if I liked his food. I'd tell the guide when giving him the money to take care of his help as he saw fit out of it. If I get an exceptional animal, I will consider more than 10%.

Some people say tip based on how hard the guide worked. Yes and no, I didnt' pay thousands of dollars and travel all that distance to not tag out. Results matter in my line of work, I think its ok to have a similar standard.

I have always tipped on effort. My wife and I did a bou hunt in Alaska. The whole camp went out of thier way to make the trip as great as it could be . We hunted hard , wife 9 days me 10. We killed decent Bulls , not what we were hoping for. But it is one of my fondest memories. Brett our guide got 15% plus a pair of binos. His Pentax puked 1/2 thru the hunt. Packer got $300. This was 30 years ago.

On a BC goat hunt , I tipped nothing and left early. When the outfitter says "I don't know where the goats are" and the guide tells you the natives hammered them, I figured it was a camping trip.....

Now my hunts are all DIY so no worries. But for exceptional efforts on a horseback elk hunt, I would tip 15% guide
$150 cook and wrangler each, regardless of what I killed.
$250 if the wrangler has a good mule waiting for me in the am, instead of a horse....

 

[Wyoming Hart]

It sounds to me like all the responses so far have been on par with how it should be in my opinion. There shouldn't be a set amount even though the majority seems to be 10% of the cost of the hunt with some doing more for the better experience and less for poor experience. I go into the hunt understanding that there are so many factors out there that can affect the hunt even factors that are under my control. Thorough research on where and with who you are hunting with before signing your name on the dotted line is one of the biggest factors you can control. Most people have no idea what the area they will be hunting is like as far as the number of animals it has and the conditions that exist there. There are many other variables. Even good outfitters can only do so much with what they have available. You gotta know that you don't always harvest an animal and you have to accept that. But if the outfit, shows me that they put together a great effort to help me harvest, they deserve a good tip. If they keep taking me a mountain with no animals on it, while the rest of the camp goes on the mountain where the animals are, they won't see anything more outta me. This happened to my uncle and his friend. Needless to say the didn't tip at all and will not be going back.

 

[ttewes]

I agree with Wyoming Hart. It is good to know the average tip, and then adjust accordingly for your beliefs on compensation for quality of the experience, quality of the staff/guide, and trophy quality. Everyone views these differently and tips according to those views.

 

[NWLEGENDS]

I would agree Tom338. All guides do it for the passion they have for hunting. However passion doesn't put clothes on the kids back.

Alot of clients will actually leave meat for the guide. If they can only bring back say 50 pounds theyll tip with processed meat.