How much to tip

[robtattoo]

Man this thread is depressing. I've already figured out that there's no literal way i could ever afford the guided hunt i'd need to kill a Thoroghfare bull in the next 3 years, but having to add on a $750-1500 tip pushes it an honest 2 years further on. Im self employed. I pay myself the bare minimum so i can pay my staff as much as I can & put everything else back into the business. I bust my ass 6+ days a week, up to 16hrs a day & pay myself the same per week that the guides are getting a day.
The tipping situations described here are making it impossible for me. I'd be utterly ashamed to book a hunt & not be able to fulfill the gratuity expectation & i wouldn't expect anyone else to understand my situation. I guess the north/south, east/west wage disparity is becoming more apparent to me....... it's depressing.

 

[KineKilla]

Just treat yourself and your employees to a "team building exercise" and make it a business expense. Happens all the time.

Sent from my SM-N976U using Tapatalk

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Man this thread is depressing. I've already figured out that there's no literal way i could ever afford the guided hunt i'd need to kill a Thoroghfare bull in the next 3 years, but having to add on a $750-1500 tip pushes it an honest 2 years further on. Im self employed. I pay myself the bare minimum so i can pay my staff as much as I can & put everything else back into the business. I bust my ass 6+ days a week, up to 16hrs a day & pay myself the same per week that the guides are getting a day.
The tipping situations described here are making it impossible for me. I'd be utterly ashamed to book a hunt & not be able to fulfill the gratuity expectation & i wouldn't expect anyone else to understand my situation. I guess the north/south, east/west wage disparity is becoming more apparent to me....... it's depressing.

I have to ask. What is a thoroughfare bull?

From a tip perspective, do what you can do. Most guides would likely give up some tip to hunt with a person they like than get a full tip from a butt munch.

 

[Brooks]

My friend has been a guide for many years and he says most of the guys that hire his outfitter are repeat guys with professional carriers and always tip good for a good hunt. On average $500. IMO if you can’t afford to tip just go DIY.

 

[gibby97]

You assume I got a stimulus check! This whole discussion is a major contributing factor in my decision not to do business with any company or person that EXPECTS a tip.

In a previous post you mentioned that you don’t go out or on guided hunts because you can;t afford it, that sir would mean you received a stimulus check. I know this because I didn’t receive one so I know what can and can;t be afforded.

 

[robtattoo]

I have to ask. What is a thoroughfare bull?

From a tip perspective, do what you can do. Most guides would likely give up some tip to hunt with a person they like than get a full tip from a butt munch.

The Thoroughfare is an area in Wyoming, butting directly up against the southern boundary of Yellowstone. Is about as high a percentage bulk elk hunt as you'll ever find, in some of THE most stunning surroundings in the US. Unfortunately, it's also about 95% Wilderness, so non residents have to be guided, or at least have a resident along. It's one of those hunts, however, that is only really possible on horseback. No way you could feasibly hike into there, it's just too damn far.
The really great thingis that unlike most trophy units requiring maximum points, you can draw a tag on 5 or 6.

 

[tgus59]

I'm going on a drop camp style hunt, where we are being taken in and out on horseback, and hunting on our own from there. Any recommendations? I was thinking $100 on the way in, and $100 on the way out, since I don't know that it will be the same guys. There is a group of 4 of us, and it would be $100 from each of us.

 

[5MilesBack]

Since DIY is such a valued thing on this forum and for a heck of a lot of hunters, perhaps restaurants should start offering a DIY option. I'm sure we can all write down our orders and hand them to the cook, then fill our water glasses and get our drinks, and then get our food to the table on our own. Heck, my dad used to go behind the counter and fill up his coffee cup all the time. His motto was always "I'm not willing to pay someone to do what I am able and willing to do myself".

 

[WCB]

Serious question. If you’re going off of a % then obviously the more expensive the hunt the more the guide gets tipped. A 6k elk hunt guide that worked his ass off gets $600, vs a 50k sheep hunt where the guide gets 5k. Assuming similar effort, days, etc how do you justify that?

Wouldn't it be the same for a server at a restaurant? The general idea is 10-15% of cost of meal while also considering service?

 

[SIontheHunt]

Wouldn't it be the same for a server at a restaurant? The general idea is 10-15% of cost of meal while also considering service?

that would be true if guides were paid below minimum wage like wait staff. Outfitters should pay their guides a real salary and if the client throws them a couple hundred bucks thats icing on the cake.

 

[MattB]

I get the food and eat it before they find out that I'm not going to give them anything extra for a job that they agreed to do for an agreed upon salary.

I do find it funny that in this day with the availability of information some people still think a wait person signed on to work an "agreed upon salary". The pay structure for most wait staff assumes they will get tips and they are even taxed based on an assumed level of tips above their hourly wage. Not sure if it still the case, but federal law used to allow servers to be paid below minimum wage on an hourly basis so long as their wage including tips exceeded a certain level.

Pretending tipping in the service industry is not a thing is tantamount to stealing IMO.

 

[MattB]

Since DIY is such a valued thing on this forum and for a heck of a lot of hunters, perhaps restaurants should start offering a DIY option. I'm sure we can all write down our orders and hand them to the cook, then fill our water glasses and get our drinks, and then get our food to the table on our own. Heck, my dad used to go behind the counter and fill up his coffee cup all the time. His motto was always "I'm not willing to pay someone to do what I am able and willing to do myself".

And yet he went to a restaurant.

 

[High Top Red]

Never hunted with a guide. I’ve used them fly fishing and usually go 100 a day.

 

[Marmots]

I've never hunted with a guide, but I have done a few fly-in trips where a small plane just dropped me off on a beach or backcountry airstrip.

Is it customary to tip a charter pilot for a point A to point B trip? The thought honestly never crossed my mind and I'm kind of cringing thinking about it now. Hopefully I looked young and poor enough to excuse it.

 

[Jsn_leonard]

We do 6 day guided elk hunts. 100% opportunity rate the last 8 years (2 misses). I’ve had anywhere from a handshake to 15%. Guides provide a service. If you were impressed with the service, tip accordingly.

 

[Loco4dux]

Had a great experience on an unsuccessful elk hunt last year where owner/guide worked his ass off to get a bull but we just couldn’t make it happen, very close. This year, hunted with another guide/owner instead of one of his guides, cool dude initially but when the hunt got late in the game and I wanted to take any bull instead of one above X inches that fit his ego/reputation in his town/Instagram profile that caused serious arguments and tension. Because of this he got zero tip, he deserved a negative tip, honestly, because he already charged a premium compared to others in this area to be telling a client “what he will chase and what he won’t”
Regardless, interesting thread.

 

[AKBorn]

I've never hunted with a guide, but I have done a few fly-in trips where a small plane just dropped me off on a beach or backcountry airstrip.

Is it customary to tip a charter pilot for a point A to point B trip? The thought honestly never crossed my mind and I'm kind of cringing thinking about it now. Hopefully I looked young and poor enough to excuse it.

May we ask how much the charter flight is costing you? I have tipped bush pilots $50, $100, or $200 bucks (both flying in and flying out) depending on how far they were taking me and what type of service it was...

 

[Ralphie]

I guided part time in the thorofare for 15 seasons and still do on a large private ranch that is Adjacent To a huge wilderness area. I’ve got a regular full time job. We arent going without if I don’t get a good tip. That said a nice tip makes a big difference. I’d say 10% is a good starting place. My hunts cost $6-9k. Tips are a big deal for most guides whether they are struggling financially or not. Like it or not, tipping in some service industries has become the standard at least in the states. If you are a bad tipper it’ll be known and remembered. If you are a bad guide you should get bad tips and probably not guide any more. I once Got tipped $150 and a handkerchief, not kidding, for a 8 day sheep hunt, where the felon client killed an awesome ram on day one with a muzzle loader. It took 8 days because of the distance involved on horseback. And once a repeat client gave me $400 and I guided him all of 20 minutes to a 364 bull before the sun was even all the way up on day one. Most are more normal hunts that last a few days and Ive gotten 10-15%.
I don’t know if that standard applies when you get into the more expensive hunts.

 

[Marmots]

May we ask how much the charter flight is costing you? I have tipped bush pilots $50, $100, or $200 bucks (both flying in and flying out) depending on how far they were taking me and what type of service it was...

$400-$600

 

[AKBorn]

$400-$600

That's a pretty cheap off-airport flight, if it were me I might tip $50 going in and $50 coming out, if the service was good and the operation was pretty tight (on tie when possible, organized, sets clear expectations, etc.)