This guy got $40 from the 3 of us?

Depends on the hunt and more importantly the guide...

Been waiting to get this off my chest.

Went on a guided trip the last day of the season. I won't name the outfitter cause I've had good experiences with them previously and don't want to smear their name because of one stupid guide.

The spot looked great, big freshwater reservoir down by the coast. We could hear blue wings quacking in the marshy stuff behind us before the sun came up. Figured it would be an awesome limit in under an hour.

Then things changed. The closest decoy the guide set was 50 yrds from us. Made zero sense to me but I know I'm super particular about decoy setup and I could tell my friends just wanted me to sit back and enjoy the hunt. I convinced myself the guide knew something I didn't and kept my trap shut. As I expected though, the ducks either landed in the decoys or on the other side. Also, the permanent blind in the middle of this reservoir is pointed directly at the rising sun. for real?

Early on a group of 10 circles around and actually gets close enough to shoot at. We all raise up and start shooting and the guide points to the birds 'he got' and says 'I got that one, I got that one!'.

Later, we decided we needed to jump up the birds that landed on the other side of the decoys so we could have a chance at some coming on our side. One buddy and I start wading across to jump em up. We realize the guide is wading 20 yrds to our right and going faster than us. He notices I'm eyeing him wondering what he's doing and says 'Did yall want to shoot those birds or do you want me to?'. I look at my friend completely confused and I tell the guy we'll try to get close enough and shoot em. two seconds later the guide shoots.

On topic of the thread. a normal $150-$175 duck hunt, I'd say $20-$50 per person is normal and fair depending on your experience. This guy got $40 from the 3 of us.

I would continue about how the guide sky busted geese from the other side of the pond as ducks circled us in the blind but I guess I should actually work today.

When I went on guided hunts, if the guide shot, that was his tip. I have even had a couple ask if they could shoot in lieu of tip. If I have to wake up at 3am and help set up, probably won't get a tip. If guide gives me the spot to meet him/her 30 minutes before LST, their tip max just went up!

If you have a group of 3-4 hunters, Guides shouldnt shoot.
They can carry a gun to finish a cripple accross the pond, but i have seen soo many guides shooting ducks when i was ready to pull a double

I bet the only time you double is when the guide drops at least one of them and then turns to you and congrats you on the "double".

When I went on guided hunts, if the guide shot, that was his tip. I have even had a couple ask if they could shoot in lieu of tip. If I have to wake up at 3am and help set up, probably won't get a tip. If guide gives me the spot to meet him/her 30 minutes before LST, their tip max just went up!

I guide and I shoot sparingly but I never take the first shot. Typically shoot birds that I know have been hit or sometimes shoot to make sure we get birds on the ground. I have put too many guns together the morning of the hunt and watched too many guys get mad because they killed three birds with two boxes of shells. 9 out of 10 hunters judge the experience by the picture at the end.

A group of birds shot at are a group that will never be back. Might as well kill all of them you can. However customers come first and if they don't want me to shoot at all I don't.

I bet the only time you double is when the guide drops at least one of them and then turns to you and congrats you on the "double".

I agree with BOBO's phantom post earlier, sometimes you gotta shoot to help out the guys who can't.

I don't get the rationale. Why not hand the guy some dead ducks and dispense with the hunting part? They're hunters, they are hunting, they have a shotgun, shells, licenses, stamp, etc. They have some degree of preparation and know it's a bit more complicated than other types of wing shooting. At what point is a customer expected to pull their own weight? If the guys are given opportunities to kill birds, and they can't because they can't hit the side of a barn, that's their problem.
It's no different than taking a client on a guided fly fishing trip, hooking a fish, handing the rod to the client and having them reel it in.
If I was stalking a brown bear with a guide and he shot at it at the same time I did to "help out", I'd fire the guy on the spot. I may as well be a spectator.