Guide gratuities

[drbonner]

Gratuities should be based on service above what it included in your hunt.
You tip according to the service the guide our cook gave you above and beyond what he or she is paid to do.

If they don't put in the effort then no you don't tip them.

The hunts I've looked at said that they included the hunt, lodging, meals, tracking the deer, caring for/processing, etc.... in my opinion that means everything is covered. No gratuity needed. If the outfitter suggests I tip them, I'd tell him I've already paid for that service.

[drbonner]

Never tip a guide or cook on a percentage of the hunt price. That's insane. Tip what you feel their service was worth.

What if their service is included in the hunt price?

[RdRdrFan]

I love you guys who don’t think a guide deserves a tip. Makes it all the easier to get the best guides for myself. If you are a one and done guy and have no intention of ever going back to hunt with the outfitter AND you want to be a *****, don’t tip.

I don’t tip a standard amount. I tip based on how good the guide was. If he busts his butt and works hard then he gets a great tip. If he doesn’t then he will feel it in his pocket book with a lighter tip.

I can assure you that there are places that I have hunted multiple times and if you are a repeat client then the best guides know if you tip well or not. For me, I want the best guide and I want him to want to work hard for me.

And don’t “tip” by giving the guide your knife or crappy optics. They already own a knife and optics. And theirs are probably AT LEAST as good as yours if not better. That isn’t a tip. That’s an insult.

[Smart]

Then the outfitter should just put the extra $525 in the price of the hunt and say gratuities are included.

No way in hell....I want to be in control of that $525. If my guide busts his *** and the cook does a good job then they get the tip. If its included aready, they can screw off or do just the bare minimum because they are getting paid no matter what and have zero incentive.



Plus they can work harder and get a larger tip than "standard" if their hunter deems it earned. Some guys will bust their *** and it pays off for them. So guys are happy doing the bare minimum. Incentives are a good tool for the payer and payee....

[Hogmauler]

I don’t think it’s about being an a hole. It’s what’s reasonable and customary. As far as an elk hunt goes even a cheap hunt will put me at my limit of what I’m able to pay for myself and my son. I think most places charge at least $100.00 per day for meals and lodging which is very reasonable. And yes we will be a “one and done” but still plan on tipping some amount.

[drbonner]

I don’t think it’s about being an a hole. It’s what’s reasonable and customary. As far as an elk hunt goes even a cheap hunt will put me at my limit of what I’m able to pay for myself and my son. I think most places charge at least $100.00 per day for meals and lodging which is very reasonable. And yes we will be a “one and done” but still plan on tipping some amount.

Whether you're a one and doner or not, if you pay $3-4000 for a hunt that is advertised as all inclusive, you shouldn't be expected to tip.

[curtintex]

No way in hell....I want to be in control of that $525. If my guide busts his *** and the cook does a good job then they get the tip. If its included aready, they can screw off or do just the bare minimum because they are getting paid no matter what and have zero incentive.



Plus they can work harder and get a larger tip than "standard" if their hunter deems it earned. Some guys will bust their *** and it pays off for them. So guys are happy doing the bare minimum. Incentives are a good tool for the payer and payee....

100% right on. No place has this proven more so than the cruise industry. 20 years ago, on the last day of your cruise, you were presented with envelopes for gratuity. One for your head waiter, one for your waiter, one for your cabin steward, etc. So from day one of that cruise all of those people busted their *** to make sure that your every need was attended to and you tipped accordingly. About 10 years ago, the cruise industry went to "tip included" pricing. The food quality, the service, the attitude, everything got worse almost immediately. They now got paid the same no matter how well they took care of you and the experience was cheapened.

I guarantee you that this is exactly what would happen in any industry it could be applied to, including the hunting industry.

[MAP]

Whether you're a one and doner or not, if you pay $3-4000 for a hunt that is advertised as all inclusive, you shouldn't be expected to tip.

Its the same at a restaurant, the steak is listed at $50. Is that all your going to leave?

I bet a guide works alittle harder than a waiter

[RdRdrFan]

Whether you're a one and doner or not, if you pay $3-4000 for a hunt that is advertised as all inclusive, you shouldn't be expected to tip.

Try going on a hunt and not tipping. See how hard they try for you the second time. The outfitter sets his price. Doesn’t matter what guide you have, the price is the same. All guides are not created equal and if you don’t think that the quality of your guide is a determinate in the success of your hunt then you haven’t been on many guided hunts. Some guides earn a great tip. Some don’t......irregardless of the type of success you have.

[RdRdrFan]

100% right on. No place has this proven more so than the cruise industry. 20 years ago, on the last day of your cruise, you were presented with envelopes for gratuity. One for your head waiter, one for your waiter, one for your cabin steward, etc. So from day one of that cruise all of those people busted their *** to make sure that your every need was attended to and you tipped accordingly. About 10 years ago, the cruise industry went to "tip included" pricing. The food quality, the service, the attitude, everything got worse almost immediately. They now got paid the same no matter how well they took care of you and the experience was cheapened.

I guarantee you that this is exactly what would happen in any industry it could be applied to, including the hunting industry.

100% dead on

[drbonner]

Its the same at a restaurant, the steak is listed at $50. Is that all your going to leave?

I bet a guide works alittle harder than a waiter

Go to the thread about restaurant tipping. I tip at restaurants because waiters make far less than minimum wage and that is a service where theyre waiting on you. IF I'm told that all the things theyre doing is provided in their package, should you tip? I don't think so.

If that steak isn't worth a crap I probably won't go back.

[Sackett]

Whether you're a one and doner or not, if you pay $3-4000 for a hunt that is advertised as all inclusive, you shouldn't be expected to tip.

Maybe in your eye's, but not 95% of people. Have you ever been on a cruise or been out to eat at a nice restaurant with a $150 bill for just two? Did you not leave a tip? If not, female hygiene product comes to mind.

[Hogmauler]

Wow your a d b if you don’t tip at $150.00 for two people? I’ve be outta the loop way too long Sack! In fact it’s been so long since George saw light he squints when I open my wallet! That’s why I Hand the bill to my wife and let her fill out the tip.

[Sika]

I’ve looked at a lot of sites regarding assorted hunts etc etc. Most if not all state “gratuities not included”. Furthermore your expected to tip the cook and the guide.
What is the going rate for this? Now I’m fully aware that there are wealthy people on this site and tipping doesn’t affect them at all. This isn’t directed at y’all. This question is for Joe average that has to get a big game hunt past the wage and means committee!

I've never guided a back country hunt but I've been guiding whitetail and exotics on and off for the past 8 years and, in my experience, there is no standard percentage or expectation in the industry over here. I've had really wealthy celebrity type clients leave a $100 tip for a $10,000 animal and I've had average blue collar guys leave a $400 tip for a $1500 management deer. I try to work equally hard for every client. From scouting their target animal to driving them around, sitting with them, putting on a stalk if necessary, to videoing the shot / taking pictures and cleaning their animal. Our days usually start at 4 or 5 am and end around 10-10:30 pm...sometimes later.
It seems like they are less likely to tip well if their hunt is being paid for by someone else. I think the assumption is the company or individual paying for the hunt is also responsible for tipping the guides but that is not always the case.

I can tell you any amount of cash is greatly appreciated. If we have a successful hunt and the hunter bags a nice trophy, I personally feel a $200-$300 is a fair tip for the amount of work I put in for each hunter. $400 per hunter would be very good. If you look around the internet a lot of websites suggest 10% of the value of the hunt. On average, it's usually more like 5%.

The non-tippers and guys who think summer sausage / jerky are acceptable forms of tipping are the worst. Please don't give us deer meat. We generally have more meat in the freezer than we can eat.

[Sika]

100% right on. No place has this proven more so than the cruise industry. 20 years ago, on the last day of your cruise, you were presented with envelopes for gratuity. One for your head waiter, one for your waiter, one for your cabin steward, etc. So from day one of that cruise all of those people busted their *** to make sure that your every need was attended to and you tipped accordingly. About 10 years ago, the cruise industry went to "tip included" pricing. The food quality, the service, the attitude, everything got worse almost immediately. They now got paid the same no matter how well they took care of you and the experience was cheapened.

I guarantee you that this is exactly what would happen in any industry it could be applied to, including the hunting industry.

This...and...not all hunts are created equal.

I get paid a daily rate for guiding. It's the same rate whether I put in an 8 hour day or an 18 hour day.

If I already have the animal patterned and it's just a matter of driving to the stand, sitting until the feeder goes off and putting said animal on the tailgate, that's a very different hunt than having to work my tail off to find a target for the hunter and spending days looking for, stalking and driving around until we locate a target. Obviously, I'm putting in a lot more hours on certain hunts, especially if it's a bow hunt or if my hunter and I are looking for a specific deer that is difficult to pattern.

And if it's a 2 on 1 hunt I have two hunters to deal with and that doubles the work.

I'm not complaining about the rate. Every ranch I guide for pays either $200 or $225 per day, which a fair rate, but it's nice to get a little bonus money for going above and beyond to get your hunter a trophy he is thrilled with.