Tipping a outfitter

[Browning87]

For you guys that have used a outfitter, what is a fair tip for the hunt? This was a discussion we had at our table at a recent nwtf banquet and I just wanted to see what some of your thoughts were.

[Rapscallion Vermilion]

I don't have a ton of experience in this area, more with fishing than hunting, but use 10% as a starting point, and this was based on guidance from a friend who does a lot of this.

[MK M GOBL]

I have never used a guide or outfitter service... I have guided for other hunters (Turkey & Goose) and Bowfishing, As this was my (side) business, beyond my daily rate or 3-day pkg price I have received "tips" at times. They ranged anywhere from 5% -25%. It really depends on you and how this business/service is run. A lot of guides are "paid" by the Outfitting Service and tips you are paying for how the guides service is for you.

For me there were several reasons I got out of the business, and now I "Guide" for friends, Mentor Youth Hunts, and volunteer for our Learn to Hunt Program all at no charge, a much more personally satisfying prospect for me!

You can't beat the smiles!

MK M GOBL

[appalachianassassin]

when I was guiding flyfishing I expected $100 gratuity per day if I was sleeping in my own bed every night. in Alaska, chile and the Bahamas at least $200 per day. very few times I didn't get it and if I did that person would never fish with me again.

[MK M GOBL]

when I was guiding flyfishing I expected $100 gratuity per day if I was sleeping in my own bed every night. in Alaska, chile and the Bahamas at least $200 per day. very few times I didn't get it and if I did that person would never fish with me again.

Were these tips beyond a daily rate? Your own service or did you work for an Outfitter?

Just wondering...

MK M GOBL

[cramerhunts]

I believe a baseline is no different than at a restaurant, 15% to start and go up/down from there depending upon the experience and effort. This is what I have done and had done in return.

[kjnengr]

For me 10% is a good starting point.  Various factors influence my decision about how much to increase the tip.....

• Is/was the guide through an outfitter?  Often the outfitter gets a cut and the guide is paid less than if the hunt booked straight through him.  I tip more to the guy that was hired by the outfitter to make up the difference than if I was hunting the outfitter myself.
• I tip based on service, Not success.  If the guide busted his butt, regardless of number of birds killed, he gets and deserves a good tip.
• If there is a cook they usually get a tip as well.
• How many hunts did I hunt with that guide? Sometimes I will get put with multiple guides on the same trip.  And some guides just pool their money together and split them after the clients leave. 

It usually ends up a little over $100 per person. 

[fallhnt]

10% per person being guided.

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[g8rvet]

I think the whole idea of tipping anything other than a waitress is kinda silly.  Just put it in the price of everything.  And I tip very well (over 20%) when deserved and less when not.   

With that being said, you just have to do what is customary, as it really is not built in to the price.  We had a guide for my Dad on a Pronghorn hunt and he was a firefighter like my brother.  We all hit it off and he got a whopper of a tip for being patient with my Dad.  I think with a tip we should start at a certain percent (say 10%) and go up or down based on effort and how the guide acts. 

[TauntoHawk]

I asked my guide on a recent elk hunt this question, he said he thought it was rediculious for guys to expect 10%+ tips when hunters have paid thousands already for the hunt. He said he guides but also goes on other hunts each year for other species and doesnt tip that high himself and doesn't expect it in return.

He said unlike a waitress that gets paid almost entirely through tips and hardly makes any base wage he charges a fair price for a hunt and any tips are merely a above and beyond gratitude and aren't anticipated or expected.

I think I tiped 10% total between the two guides in our camp and the camp cook and that was based on being extremely happy with services and being successful in the field. and I know they aren't disgruntled because I've stayed in touch with them and have taken reference calls for their service from perspective clients.

If a guide demands hundreds of dollars a day in "tips" he's either not charging enough up front or needs to be paid more by the outfitter that is doing the charging up front.

Well I sounded more peachy then I ment to be there but I guess I just don't understand paying potentially thousands and being expected to pay additional monies upwards of $400+ as a base even if service wasn't great because that's what I was told on the internet was the minimum.

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[land cruiser]

It depends on the country, but in US a good rule of thumb is 10%. Never tip the outfitter, just the guide. On long expeditions I also tip packers and kitchen personnel, horse handlers if there are horses.

[SteelerFan]

I asked my guide on a recent elk hunt this question, he said he thought it was rediculious for guys to expect 10%+ tips when hunters have paid thousands already for the hunt. He said he guides but also goes on other hunts each year for other species and doesnt tip that high himself and doesn't expect it in return.

He said unlike a waitress that gets paid almost entirely through tips and hardly makes any base wage he charges a fair price for a hunt and any tips are merely a above and beyond gratitude and aren't anticipated or expected.

I think I tiped 10% total between the two guides in our camp and the camp cook and that was based on being extremely happy with services and being successful in the field. and I know they aren't disgruntled because I've stayed in touch with them and have taken reference calls for their service from perspective clients.

If a guide demands hundreds of dollars a day in "tips" he's either not charging enough up front or needs to be paid more by the outfitter that is doing the charging up front.

Well I sounded more peachy then I ment to be there but I guess I just don't understand paying potentially thousands and being expected to pay additional monies upwards of $400+ as a base even if service wasn't great because that's what I was told on the internet was the minimum.

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Agreed...

$500 tip on a 5k elk hunt is a bit much in my opinion. If I were paying $1800 to hunt turkeys... and the guide worked hard to find birds and put me in good areas (I can't gauge the "hunt" effort, I wouldn't want him to do my calling...), I wouldn't hesitate to tip him / her $150 or so, ($50 / day?) Not 10% - but I would consider it reasonable.

I've hunted elk 3x with an outfitter and guides. Guides have told me stories of hunters "tipping" their Weatherby rifle at the end of the hunt. I laughed, pointed out that I had a Browning, and they were NOT getting it! They also laughed.

I believe the true intent of the tip is what becomes measurable. A very wealthy client that thinks dropping $4,500 - $10,000 on a hunt as spending his monthly play money - should probably tip 10% or more. The guy that tells his guide it took him 3 years of overtime to save enough money to go on that hunt shouldn't be held to that same "standard". And I don't think they are...

As others have said - this only applies to guides. The outfitter got his tip when he cashed your check for the hunt.

[Daddy rat]

I was co owner in duck hunting guide service for 20 years. Most guides make small  fee but tips is how they make  money, some ppl are big tippers and some just don't tip period... if your guide Is doing his part )$25 to $50 a day is good starting point.  Your guide will appreciate every penny I promise


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[appalachianassassin]

when I was guiding flyfishing I expected $100 gratuity per day if I was sleeping in my own bed every night. in Alaska, chile and the Bahamas at least $200 per day. very few times I didn't get it and if I did that person would never fish with me again.

Were these tips beyond a daily rate? Your own service or did you work for an Outfitter?

Just wondering...

MK M GOBL

I was being paid 175 a day by the outfitter as well. but, realize this. the outfitter received an extreme amount of business because I worked for him so I could demand a big price. I more or less took the same people annually and rarely took on a new client. secondly, you go with your little elk guide and you eat his apples and borrow his  paper which costs him nearly nothing. you go with a fly fishing guide and you will most likely lose 100 dollars a day worth of his gear.

[Uncle Nicky]

For a turkey hunt, 20% unless the guide was a slouch. If the guide is also the owner, 10% if he went the extra mile. On a DIY/self guided, discretionary, but if the outfitter went out of his way, 10-20% depending on the effort. These folks aren't getting rich doing this, and deserve to make a living just like everyone else.