Tipping your guide
 

Going on my first guided hunt this spring what's an average tip amount that should be given.

10% of the hunt value is what I do for a normal experience
If you guide works his/her bag off, I give more
If I learn a lot from them, I give more

Did a musk ox hunt in Greenland and one guide did all the work, while the rest sat on their butts. He got all the tips. The rest got sfa

Yep totally agree with above comments and unfortunately you will find the latter is not so uncommon at times. I find that most get u to pay at same time as your bill. I’d rather pay the tips directly. Owners sometimes get a hand in there. They get the fee.

Someone once posted a scenario on here that highlights the obsurdity of tipping your hunting guide (it might have been huntinstuff, but I don't remember for sure).
(Also, this isn't a direct quote, just from memory)

"That was a great guided hunt, thank you. Now how much do I owe you for this guided hunt?"
"That will be "x" Dollars."
"Great, here is "x" Dollars"
"F you A hole"

:)

Gratuities
 

Most of the time your outfitter is not your guide/cook so you pay your hunt/fishing fee to the outfitter and tip your guide/cook separately depending on the job done 10% is a good starting spot and less for the cook although sometimes that could be the best part of the trip....... its not always the end result that counts but the journey getting there ..... keep in mind that guides and cooks are paid out of your guiding fees and are paid to do a job ..... hopefully a good one

My wife cooked for an outfitter. She is an excellent cook & a great sense of humor. Always tried early to learn hunter's preferences in food.

She was tipped very, very well, as much as her wages after currency exchange!

Tipping
 

Always give your tips directly to your guide and other helpers/cooks in camp. I would never give it to the outfitter thinking he will pass it along to the others. I guided bears for a guy many years ago, that wanted the tips given to him so that he could pass them down to those who earned them. At the end of the season we were wondering why we didn’t get much in the way of tips, until we talked to some of our hunters after they got home. They had all given the outfitter great tips to be passed onto us, and he ended up just putting them in his own pocket. Did t work for him ever again, nor did anybody else. I always tip my guide, usually around 20% if I feel they put in the effort. Getting my quarry doesn’t really matter as long as they do their best to get you there.

On a stone sheep hunt you would tip 10G?

Go to the African Hunting forum and look up the 100 plus page thread on tipping. If there is a point of view NOT represented on that thread I have no idea what it would be.

10 percent is standard. On a year like this don’t forget that you might want to tip more than 10 percent as it is likely “covid pricing”. The guides work hard. Don’t be afraid to tip 10 percent of the standard cost of the hunt. Not your discounted hunt rate.

I heard of one guy who hunts around the world, not tip anyone ever.
His reasoning was that he wouldn’t able to go on as many trips if he was tipping his guides lol

So that’s the other side of the spectrum

I've often reluctantly tipped a poor fishing guide 10% - because I've felt oblidged to. I wish I'd kept all those tips and added them to a couple of guides who did an outstanding job.

I’ve seen it all when it comes to tipping. It’s all up to the individual and how they think the hunt went. 10-20% is in the wheelhouse.

What are you hunting??

There is a big diff in tipping for a guided sheep/moose hunt or a hunt for bears over bait...

Always pay the guide directly. With cash. Only you know how it went.

10% is a decent guideline but its up to you.

why is the tip not included in the price?

just asking,

not trying to start a war

Because that would make too much sense.

Because then it wouldn't be a tip?

10% min if the guide worked hard, no matter if you get an animal or not. You can go up from there, depending on your satisfaction with the hunt. Some guides work for the tips, some for the love of hunting, guiding and seeing the smile on their clients face!! The tips come as a bonus.

DO NOT leave the guide objects; bino's, gun, pack etc. They already have all that stuff and don't need more.

I guided for 15 years and usually received 10-20% from each hunter.

Be honest with your guide and treat them with respect and they should bend over backwards for you.

Good luck on your hunt

Cheers

SS

Fair question, but I like the idea of something extra for extra effort, not necessarily success.

Can say the same thing for ordering food from a restaurant
When they tack on an automatic 20% for, let’s say, a large group
I’ve never had good service

I’ve had a lot of great guides that knew their stuff and I’ve become great friends with them
And I’ve had guides that just got in the way

Always tip in USD or euros. The pain of dealing with 3rd world world currency does not need to be inflicted on your guides.

Tipping your guide
 

Nope. Not unless money was no object. It’s pretty much all fishing trips that I have been on. Never needed a hunting guide. If I’m going to an area I never been before, then I will hire a guide to show me the ins and outs for a day, after that I can do it on my own.

[QUOTE=FellSwoop;4353969]Always tip in USD or euros. The pain of dealing with 3rd world world currency does not need to be inflicted on your guides.


So a US hunter shouldn't tip in Canadian? Either we convert or the Canadian, converts.I"m not ever gonna be a cheap tipper if the guide is Good, 10-20% with a 30% exchange does make a difference.
BTW the last moose hunt in Alberta we had a lady Chef for Germany cook for us. Best damn food every day ! She got paid 200 US. and no Moose..lol

that's my thought too...

Because a tip % should be determined by the individual depending on how the guide performed or lack there of. No different to a restaurant and waitress.

Tipping is demeaning.
That is how you treat a slave.

true....I guess if your throwing 10's of thousands of dollars out you can hand over a few bucks....like in Cuba...20 USD goes a long way in tips:)

My thoughts; seems like tipping has evolved into being an expectation in fields that systemically under pay their customer facing staff. Waiters got tips for years because their base pay was very low. Everyone attributes this to ensuring better service but what it really did was subsidize the crap wages paid by restaurants. Service levels are however driven by culture. Australian waiters were getting paid 22 bucks an hour the last time I was there and the service was universally poor, unless you got a non-Australian waitress. Service from waiters in Japan is universally excellent and tipping is actually considered an insult.

Tipping is also a Yankee invention that has spread into some areas in other countries, but certainly not all. A good part of Europe is still very anti-tipping. Tips were originally paid up front to get a table faster, better location or ensure the waiter provided premium service. The Yanks are also very selective about who they think should be tipped, you don't see many of them tipping their mechanic for instance. It seems tipping is reserved for those that cannot survive on their base pay alone, but only if you interact with them face to face. I don't consider that a good thing and have to agree with Dewey.

Choosing to tip your guide is strictly a personal thing, but be aware it is an outcome of the guides being very much underpaid for the work they do, hours put in and the amount of gear they have to supply, including usually a vehicle. It is also only prevalent where a lot of Americans hunt. You never see it when hunting driven hunts in Germany, Hungary, Norway etc with a party of Germans or Norwegians.

Other consideration, he hunt is already over by the time the tip is handed out, unless you are coming back, the tip has no effect on your service. Are you trying to ensure the next guy gets good service? If you want to ensure the tip drives service, clearly set the expectations up front with your guide and tell him how much of a tip is in play if he delivers that. For those where the fun of the hunt is most important focus expectations there but if you went on a guided hunt to get a trophy animal then admit it, at least to your guide. The key elements of what you need to experience to consider the hunt a big success is what you should stress with your guide and it should form the basis of the tip.

Most guys are completely unwilling to do that upfront expectation setting because they find it uncomfortable. Even when they get bad service few say anything, and tip anyhow because it is expected and they don't want to come off as a cheap ahoe. Service has to be truly atrocious before most won't tip and that is a very bad thing all round.

I should clarify my post

Guides get paid by the outfitter.

Tip are a bonus. Not everyone gets a bonus.

Allow me to give an example:

A fly in moose hunt usually means you will probably not meet the outfitter. You meet your guide. You are cooked for, tent cleaned, and all amenities are utilized for you by your guide. The guide is your best bet for success, notwithstanding the fact you must be open to listen to the guides advice, trust her/him, and observe what they do to assist you in getting your animal.

All of this is the guides job. The guide is being paid to do this, from the money you already paid for the hunt.

A tip is simply a bonus, based on your judgment. If you decide no tip, fine. That is completely your call.

Personally, I do a few things that I bring to.the hunters attention. Not for the purposes of acquiring a tip, but to show the hunter I care about his hunt and trophy. For example:

When I cape an animal, I bring the hunter over and show him the finished job. I show him the eyes, mouth and nose area of the cape and the horn bases. I show the hunter that there are no knife slips, no errors and tell him why I am showing him this. If he wants to sit and watch the process, I encourage it. That way, his taxidermist cannot blame me for an imperfect or poor mount due to any errors in caping. Most hunters appreciate this and are grateful in knowing that a poor mount doesnt result in a blame-game.

Again, guides are paid to do this anyhow. Its part of the job and a basic expectation....

I bring my own spices to cook with. I hate eating lousy food as much as my hunter does.

I tell the hunter how to dress for the day. I always default to Plan C, because A and B usually fail....lol

I guide my hunter like Id guide my sons. We are gonna do everything we can to get this animal, within the law of course.

Do I honestly expect a tip. No, I dont. Money isnt why I guide. I get to hunt. I dont shoot, but shooting isnt a thrill for me. And 9 days after this hunt, I get to do it all over again......

Getting your animal cannot be the basis for a successful hunt. It's hunting. If you want a guarantee, there are fenced properties that will cater to this. Does it feel better if you get your animal? Of course it does! Kinda why you're there in the first place. But it happens. Everyone hates it, but there are no guarantees. High probability, but no guarantee.....

Have I been tipped? Yes. Have I not been tipped? Yes. Do I care? No. Thats just me.

Go on your hunt, whatever it is, with high hopes but no definite plans. Trust your guide. Communicate with your guide. Be open. Be in reasonable shape. Be able to walk and be able to sit still. Enjoy wherever you are. Relax. Make a friend.

very well said...puts things into perspective and nice hearing it from someone who has walked many miles in these boots!