Do you tip the Guide?

For a prairie dog hunt would you tip the guide that you booked the hunt with? If so how much?

I Always tip a guide, but amount depends on how well they did. 10% minimum for me.

Always tip the guide.

The only reason that I would not tip any guide is if he was a lazy, bumbling idiot and clearly clueless about the species that we were after. I've been on fishing trips that were busts and tipped the guides well because they were clearly putting in the work. Sometimes, your quarry won't cooperate regardess of how good of a guide that you have. Never been on a PD hunt, so I can't help you on how much, but if your guide is putting in effort, a tip of some sort is warranted.

If he does a good job at least 10%.

There are some thoughts that say an owner operator doesnt get a tip, as their tip
Is built into their price.

However, a guide that is not an owner deserves a tip, unless just lazy. I can even excuse incompetence to a small degree and give something as it isnt entirely their fault if they were hired and do not know what they are doing, thats on the outfitter and should reflect on them, not the person doing the work.

Tipping is sometimes all the pay a guide will get for their work. But i have not tipped owner operators that were clearly overselling their outfit and gave a bad experience. Several times, all on hog hunts. Just classic garbage hunts you read about on here (or at least used to) and sadly they were recommended on here by multiple. Neither frequents the forum much anymore.

In my humble opinion being an owner shouldn’t discredit that individual from getting a tip for their hard work and experience they provide a client. I’ve been an outfitter for 24 years. I don’t know of anyone that builds in tips into their pricing structures. Costs of animals and the inclusions of the hunt should be it. Tipping the guide should always be considered given that individual puts forth the effort to make that clients trip a success not only in a harvest, but their overall experience while in the field.

Yes, always tip the guide

Depends

When we used to guide dove, quail and WT down below the Norias, the outfitter made his $ off the hunts. He may or may not have been tipped from his hunters, but knowing that guy, how much people liked him and how hard he worked, I am sure he got tipped. He never served as a guide when we would bring in the 15 - 20 on dove hunts.

The rest of us peons, we didn't get much in the way of monetary compensation from him. The non-monetary compensation was abundant. In every instance, we made more from tips than we did from the cash provided by the outfitter. Some of the "guides" were pretty darn good people and at times, all of us would work hard to ensure a successful outcome.

I tip for good service. 10% at a minimum and depending if room & board are part of the cost. Have been most often pleased.

I have not tipped a couple times, one was an owner operator/guide that way over sold the hunting activity(hog hunting) and the amount of property he had to hunt (he excluded us from about 25% of the property to keep it for turkey roosting, but didnt tell us that until we showed up) and then when we arrived he told us he shot at a large hog the night before but never found it. What kind of outfit hunts right before paying hunters show up? The kind that gets no tip. And after hard hunting for several days/nights and only seeing one hog through brush at night (thermal) we went home empty handed and frustrated.

Second time was much the same, way over sold the hunting opportunity and it turns out owner didn’t show up to meet us, he had a long time lease member show us around and act as a guide for a reduced lease fee (his words not ours). Only problem was the “guide” had a buddy in camp the same time and somehow they came up with shot opportunities and actually drove thru our hunting sites multiple times taking his buddy to what we assumed were the active stands. When owner finally showed up we left and and didn’t tip either guide or owner. After 2 days and three noghts of hunting we saw one hog which ran through about 100 yards out and never gave a shot. I realize hunting is hunting, but dont send video after video showing sounders at feeders if there arent any actively showing…or maybe that was where the guide and friend were?

I have always been a good tipper, and have no problem tipping owner operators/guides if they put in the work. Had a really good experience in KY with an owner who guided us and even though i ate tag soup (my choice, i could have shot quite a few smaller bucks) i tipped well. So tipping is almost always a mandatory thing for me unless you do something to take that away.

What i wrote above about owner guides not being tipped was something i have seen and heard, it is not my typical manner of action.