Whats your take on how much to tip? 15%, 10%, more, less?

10 percent is always appreciated more if they do more for you than you expected and less if they do not. i have been tipped less than 2% on a hunt and the guy was completely satisfied and told me i was the best guide he ever had. i have also guys that tip real well and didnt get a thing.

Depending on The Guide and IF they work for you.........atleast 10%. BUT a tip should NEVER be a given!

^^^^^^agreed. Once a guide has spent some time with you during the week he will know your means. A $200 tip from some means a whole lot more than a $500 tip from others. Guides work hard long days and most take it personal if they are not able to satisfy their clients expectations so tips are always appreciated no matter the amount. 10% of the cost of the hunt, I think is a good starting point but tip according to your means and the level of service received and I think your guide should be very happy.

This has been a LONG DEBATED TOPIC here and it is a strong source of argumentative debate. Being a guide, and having taken several guide trips over the years, I can assure you that I tip and I tip well. Usually 20% unless there is a total turd running the show? this is a Service Related business same as anything else that requires you to be proficient and on your game with Equipment, Game/Fish, Conversation, Safety, First Aid, Repairs, etc, etc. Why would I not tip a fellow that does a great job in all of those catagories or that goes the EXTRA mile for me to catch a fish or Harvest game?

I once saw Jose Wahebe, take one of his clients fishing for TARPON of Miami once, the fish was heading towards some bridge pilars towards the end of it's struggle and was certainly going to break off. Jose coaxed the customer on what to do and puts a Mask, Snorkel and Fins on and Takes the Rod, jumps overboard, swims the rod reel and fish through and around the pilons and back to the boat to the customer where he lansd his personal best Tarpon.

I later ran into Jose at the Las Vegas Outdoors show and commented to him how awesome show that was. He looked straight in the eye and said, "Ah, it was nothing, the customer is a good friend and I knew this was going to be his 'record tarpon' so I wanted to make sure he got it in!!"

Being a guide for over 15 years, I can assure you that you will never get "rich" with money, you will get "rich" in fellowship and make a few new friends if you are lucky. They get up every day 2-3 hours earlier than their clients, go to bed 2-3 hours later, and do it every day. Why wouldn't you tip someone that works so hard for you to have a memorable experience? Would you tip your bartender for pouring you a beer? Think about that next time it's time to "tip" your guide?!

Please tip 10% atleast. Out of my 3 months that I've been guiding, I think I've only gotten 10% maybe 5 times. It sucks when you scout for 3+days, you go out, have a pretty good hunt, and you know you were respectful, and when they shoot a $1500 animal and all you get is a $50 tip. That has happened more times than I can count actually. And we also clean your animals as well, along with quartering them, and caping them out, but I don't mind that. And another thing that sucks about that little tip is when you're looking for their animal until 1 in the morning, and you have to be up at 5 to take them back out.

So I'm sure when you read this post, you'll think I'm griping and moaning, and I partly am, but rest assured, you tip well, you'll be invited back out to hunt an animal next year or whatever and you'll be treated better as well.

And here's something else I have learned. The people with lots of money and you know this hunt is only pocket change to them, they are almost always the under 10%'s. The people that worked their butt off to go on this hunt and get an animal, and who are much more appreciative for their animal(s) are the over 10%'s.

our tipping depends on what kind of hunt as well as what exactly is going on.

Thanks, I needed a starting point, didnt want to look like a turd handing them $10 when it should have been more.

Another thing as well, doe hunts should be 20-30%

Could not have been said better.

I had a hunter walk around camp all weekend talking about money this and money that and that he has so much, then only tips 1%. I was mad. Also dont forget the other people in camp they work hard also, ie cooks and maids. I can get over not tipping me, but talk care of the people feeding you and cleaning and making your bed.

I've never hired a guide but hopefully someday I can afford to. Do guides get paid also?

Yes, but when you figure in their direct costs, they arent making but maybe $8-10/hr. It is hard work while the client is there and hard work prior to and after the client leaves. They dont just magically know where a good deer is and take you there the day you show up. Alot of scouting time goes into getting a deer patterned.

figure in how much the tip you are leaving...(especially if they have been taking care of you and you alone for a 3 day hunt)...adds up on an 80-90hr work week.

These days, I'd say 15% at the least. The guides depend on tips as part of their salary. As for the caping, quartering, storing, shipping of trophies, etc., that should be stipulated up front as either included in the price of the hunt, or "for an additional $XX.00." Not as a seemingly gratuitous service subject to interpretation. Either way it needs to be clear. I haven't been on too many guided hunts, but I learned early on that trying to tip everyone in camp individually can get a bit monotonous, not to mention the fact that there's people you never even see doing very important stuff. I tip the same way I tip off-shore charter captains. I'll hand the guide an envelope with the tip in it and ask that they pass it around as they see fit. They've already calculated a set percentage of all tips to go to each employee anyway and will see that it gets done correctly. That way, they're either ALL happy with your tip, or ALL unhappy with your tip. But they are ALL equal in their satisfaction, or lack thereof.

I see this as well...

.....I agreee with a lot that has been said....Most of the folks with moeny that have hired me....tip like crap....I have gotten my best tips from folks that really could not afford to do so.

But man...some of the stories I have are priceless...I'm gonna have to write a book one of these days titled "Some of The Stuff I've Seen People Do"

Aint that the truth. Some of the things that happen in a deer blind/camp....well you just cant make that stuff up.

I have a question, what is a normal fee that a guide would charge for his service and should the tip be bassed on his fee or the kill fee.

probably on total cost of the hunt...his fee, trophy fee, room & board, etc. Use a good outfitter that you can trust and make one large payment so they can sort out the tips to all those involved that make the trip enjoyable...if you like the guide more than what you had already paid you are out in the field with that person all day, shake their hand and slip them more money. I noticed the best tips come on the free hunts.

Thanks for the info rifleman.

I've been told starting out at $100.00 bucks per day was a fair tip-
Lazy s.o.b., less tip.
Great s.o.b. better tip.
I also filled our last guides truck up with fuel for driving us around.
Just my $0.02

i had a tough tipping decision to make on an elk hunt last year. i was with a guide that took me up and down a mountain everyday, calling like crazy. We never got in eyesight of anything. On one morning of the hunt my guide got pulled off to help clean and quarter another hunters kill. The new guide they gave me took me out, sat me in a meadow and within 15 minutes i had a 5x5 on the ground. He then caped and quartered my elk. I had no idea how to tip in that situation. I ended up giving the guide that skinned and quartered my elk more than the guy that drug me around the mountain. Dont know if that was right but i am not rich and cant afford tipping 2 guides!

I really appreciate this thread. I've done some guided hunts recently and the issue of tipping (outside of the earshot of the guide) was discussed. In a perfect world the guide would just build in the cost of anticipated tipping into the package price- service is so subjective. If I don't get good service somewhere I don't go back or in this case I wouldn't recommend the guide to anyone else. For now it looks like I need to anticipate 15% of the total hunt cost (guide/lodging and such) as a baseline for a tip. this really never occurred to me. I don't tip my plumber, electrician, yard care guy and others.. Waiters at restaurants we all know to tip.. fascinating..