Tipping

[tkhuntsman]

I will add my 2 cents I guided hunters for 18 years deer, elk, bear, MTN. Lions, sheep, goat, moose, and Turkeys. I've been tipped from $5000 all the way down to 0. I did it full time and usually about 15+ hunts a year surprisingly enough I'd get blanked several times a year. I had several repeat guys claim they left it with the outfitter after we had packed out but I never saw it. I would love to tell you I had a 10% average but no it was more like 5. I was happy to get anything to be honest and I loved my job but it is damn disappointing to bust your butt for months scouting and then hunt for 7 days, up at 3 and to bed at 10 w/ stock. I'm glad to see the industry promoting this topic it was taboo 10-20 years ago to discuss it with the dudes. Cash is definitely king those boys work hard they need it to support themselves and their families for the rest of the year.

 

[SW hunter]

Do not ever leave gear. Im blown away when guys brag- oh i gave my spotter to the guide. No! Banks dont accept binos for truck payments. Gas station doesnt trade for knives.

Price of hunt matters. Ive done cheap $2k 3 day hunt and I wasnt leaving that guy $200. $400 seemed better.

For ordinary 5,000-7,000 hunts I plan for 10% and it could move up or down from there. Ive gone down to zero for guide who passed out drunk one afternoon.
20% when 5 guys worked 18hr days for me for 5 days. And I felt bad that I couldnt do more for them.

I hate navigating tipping and I hate trying to divide it. I hate physically handing over the tip. Its uncomfortable.

I tell all the guys working on the hunt- "Hey I gave (whoever the head guide is) X percent and he will divide it up for you guys"
That gets me off the hook. Its between those guys then. I feel better doing that.

Sometimes when youre in real remote places it can start to feel like everybody has their hand out. Everybody is trying to earn a 50 and that falls outside the tip. But I try to remember look around nobody there is getting rich. This helps to support a community or industry thats my passion.

 

[Doc Holliday]

The blanket statement of don’t leave gear isn’t accurate. I left $8,000 to total to my guide and assistant guide for a $49k stone sheep hunt. Then I left a few hundred to the ladies at base camp who make meals. And I tipped my pilot a couple hundred. I also asked my guide if he wanted my hilleberg tent. He said he did so I left it, and have seen multiple social media posts over the last couple of years with him using it which made me happy. Not saying any of this to brag, just giving facts

These tipping posts come up over and over. Every situation is different. Ask your outfitter what a good tip is, then go from there. Nobody better understands how his guides are compensated and what is typical for that hunt in that country w that set up. All NWT sheep hunts are not the same. All horseback elk hunts are not the same. Ask your outfitter!

 

[MQQSE]

I’ve always been a 10% guy barring extreme circumstances either way. Still, it seems odd to leave $10,000 on a $100,000 sheep hunt that may last two days vs a 10 day elk hunt where $1000 tip may be considered good.

If you order a $50 steak dinner and leave 20% and the next guy happens to order the same dinner with a $200 bottle of wine, does that waiter deserve 5 times the tip? I see the illogic in it all but have always followed the norms.

What about a $10,000 hunt with a $50,000 auction tag? Do you tip the tag value too??

 

[mntnguide]

In my 10 years as a guide in the Frank church and Teton wilderness, I experienced all the above. From great tips to not so great. I can assure you the ones who left not so great, were well remembered and not allowed back. . My normal day during season would be getting up a 3am, saddle horses, start client stove so their tent was warm, get clients out of bed so we could be where i wanted to at daylight, sometimes 2hr rides in dark. Back to camp around 9-10 most the days..rinse, wash, repeat. If you broke down my pay into hourly, I just laugh. And yes, tips are what paid my bills and got me through season.
Now adays, I make more in a week than I would in a month guiding. I can assure you, guides are appreciative of cash, gear is nice and all, but I still have my guide license active even today just because the amount of deals i get on gear. I cant remember the last time I paid full price for good gear, and thats how all guides look at it. Cash pays bills, anything on top of that, should just be out of realizing maybe they would actually use it.
I never guided the extreme high dollar hunts like sheep up north etc, so pretty hard to put a hard number to those. I personally would say i received 15-20% most the time, but these were just wilderness elk/deer hunts and much less expensive. I will say, the best tips I would ever receive always came from the hard working person who saved years for the hunt and appreciated every bit of it, than the rich guy who goes on multiple a year.

 

[Pokerface]

Will say up front I never plan on any type of guided hunt, time and money prevent this most of the time. I will say my two cents, Guides charge what you feel is a wage you can live on . Do not expect a tip . People that can afford a guided hunt will still pay it. I still can't believe in this day and age tipping is still so highly expected in a lot of professions/fields of work . Except for wait staff in a restaurant or other field where they do not pay a minimum wage , just say no to tips. Like I said , just my two cents worth of opinion... Joe

 

[FAAFO]

Will say up front I never plan on any type of guided hunt, time and money prevent this most of the time. I will say my two cents, Guides charge what you feel is a wage you can live on . Do not expect a tip . People that can afford a guided hunt will still pay it. I still can't believe in this day and age tipping is still so highly expected in a lot of professions/fields of work . Except for wait staff in a restaurant or other field where they do not pay a minimum wage , just say no to tips. Like I said , just my two cents worth of opinion... Joe

Are you saying guides make more than minimum wage?

 

[FAAFO]

The blanket statement of don’t leave gear isn’t accurate. I left $8,000 to total to my guide and assistant guide for a $49k stone sheep hunt. Then I left a few hundred to the ladies at base camp who make meals. And I tipped my pilot a couple hundred. I also asked my guide if he wanted my hilleberg tent. He said he did so I left it, and have seen multiple social media posts over the last couple of years with him using it which made me happy. Not saying any of this to brag, just giving facts

true but the gear example in the previous posts were referencing tipping gear not cash. You did both. Likely if you would have just tipped that tent it would have been sold within 24 hours of him making it back to cell service

I’ve seen packers be more receptive of gear tips as often enough they do not have quality gear. Likely being new in the industry gear can help the packer out a lot.

 

[mntnguide]

Will say up front I never plan on any type of guided hunt, time and money prevent this most of the time. I will say my two cents, Guides charge what you feel is a wage you can live on . Do not expect a tip . People that can afford a guided hunt will still pay it. I still can't believe in this day and age tipping is still so highly expected in a lot of professions/fields of work . Except for wait staff in a restaurant or other field where they do not pay a minimum wage , just say no to tips. Like I said , just my two cents worth of opinion... Joe

you are confusing the guide and outfitter. The outfitter is being paid the price for the hunt, the guide is not. Guides do not choose their wage, not sure how out of touch with it you are, dont really see the point in your commentary on this thread if it doesnt involve you at all

 

[IBen]

Will say up front I never plan on any type of guided hunt, time and money prevent this most of the time. I will say my two cents, Guides charge what you feel is a wage you can live on . Do not expect a tip . People that can afford a guided hunt will still pay it. I still can't believe in this day and age tipping is still so highly expected in a lot of professions/fields of work . Except for wait staff in a restaurant or other field where they do not pay a minimum wage , just say no to tips. Like I said , just my two cents worth of opinion... Joe

Tipping in the guiding industry arguably makes more sense than any other industry since there is such a wide range of acceptable effort which a guides duties lie.

Its not my job to carry someones backpack 12 miles back to the airstrip at the end of a hunt but I know it will increase my tip so i do it and many things similar to that.

 

[Pokerface]

you are confusing the guide and outfitter. The outfitter is being paid the price for the hunt, the guide is not. Guides do not choose their wage, not sure how out of touch with it you are, dont really see the point in your commentary on this thread if it doesnt involve you at all

Yes , sorry I was confusing the guide with the outfitter.... Joe

 

[Pokerface]

you are confusing the guide and outfitter. The outfitter is being paid the price for the hunt, the guide is not. Guides do not choose their wage, not sure how out of touch with it you are, dont really see the point in your commentary on this thread if it doesnt involve you at all

Very out of touch I guess, How are guides wages based. Do they get a flat fee from the outfitter and then rely on tips to pay the bills? Just trying to add other views to the topic... Joe

 

[Pokerface]

Tipping in the guiding industry arguably makes more sense than any other industry since there is such a wide range of acceptable effort which a guides duties lie.

Its not my job to carry someones backpack 12 miles back to the airstrip at the end of a hunt but I know it will increase my tip so i do it and many things similar to that.

I do see your point here. Do you think a person in any profession deserves a tip if they go well beyond the expected service and puts forth more effort?

 

[mntnguide]

Very out of touch I guess, How are guides wages based. Do they get a flat fee from the outfitter and then rely on tips to pay the bills? Just trying to add other views to the topic... Joe

Im sure wages have changed a bit since I was full time doing it, but yes, guides usually make either a flat monthly wage, or a daily wage. With backcountry type hunts and outfits, usually its a lower wage because your food and living is being provided by the outfitter during the entire season. . When i was guiding here in WY, i made about 3k/month during hunting season, then tips on top. When i first started guiding in the Frank Church in idaho, i made $50 a day...Which seems so insane being that i wont even show up to work for that amount an hour now adays.

I get the whole DIY hates outfitter stuff that is always present on this forum more so than others, but those people also dont give a rats ass the realities of the guide/outfitter world. There are tons of costs on top of your hunt that money goes to, horses arent cheap, and neither is feeding them year round to run a backcountry outfit etc. Yes, outfitters make a decent living depending on who it is and where, but all the ones I ever worked for, were great people, hard working and do it because they love being in the mountains with horses, and giving that opportunity to people who could never do that on their own.

Tipping has got out of control in this country, but that comes from whiney people with blue hair who think the 4 seconds they spend on your coffee should give them a 25% tip. I do not agree with any of that at all. But when I was spending 16-18 hours a day with clients, taking care of horses, and working my ass off to find a kill big bulls, Yes, i damn sure would expect to be tipped. And, I still stay in contact with many clients i guided today. It doesnt have to be DIY vs Guided all the time like this forum seems to like to create.

 

[alaska_bou]

Sometimes the best tip is seeing the guy that trained all year “running” all the newest gear struggle on the mountain. The big tip comes when he says he’s a long range shooter and wiffs a 200 yard shot. At that point I feel rich beyond belief Hunts ending early are lame anyhow…

This comment say a lot more about you than it does about these clients...

 

[FAAFO]

Sometimes the best tip is seeing the guy that trained all year “running” all the newest gear struggle on the mountain. The big tip comes when he says he’s a long range shooter and wiffs a 200 yard shot. At that point I feel rich beyond belief Hunts ending early are lame anyhow…

This comment say a lot more about you than it does about these clients...

Hahaha it was a joke, lighten up Francis

Maybe you should focus on posting up the outfitters you claim saying 15% is the norm for tipping

 

[FAAFO]

Im sure wages have changed a bit since I was full time doing it, but yes, guides usually make either a flat monthly wage, or a daily wage. With backcountry type hunts and outfits, usually its a lower wage because your food and living is being provided by the outfitter during the entire season. . When i was guiding here in WY, i made about 3k/month during hunting season, then tips on top. When i first started guiding in the Frank Church in idaho, i made $50 a day...Which seems so insane being that i wont even show up to work for that amount an hour now adays.

I get the whole DIY hates outfitter stuff that is always present on this forum more so than others, but those people also dont give a rats ass the realities of the guide/outfitter world. There are tons of costs on top of your hunt that money goes to, horses arent cheap, and neither is feeding them year round to run a backcountry outfit etc. Yes, outfitters make a decent living depending on who it is and where, but all the ones I ever worked for, were great people, hard working and do it because they love being in the mountains with horses, and giving that opportunity to people who could never do that on their own.

Tipping has got out of control in this country, but that comes from whiney people with blue hair who think the 4 seconds they spend on your coffee should give them a 25% tip. I do not agree with any of that at all. But when I was spending 16-18 hours a day with clients, taking care of horses, and working my ass off to find a kill big bulls, Yes, i damn sure would expect to be tipped. And, I still stay in contact with many clients i guided today. It doesnt have to be DIY vs Guided all the time like this forum seems to like to create.

great post!

 

[IBen]

I do see your point here. Do you think a person in any profession deserves a tip if they go well beyond the expected service and puts forth more effort?

when you go “above and beyond” in other professions you bill them for it. When you are in the service industry you get tipped for it.

 

[cuerro viejo]

I’ve always been a 10% guy barring extreme circumstances either way. Still, it seems odd to leave $10,000 on a $100,000 sheep hunt that may last two days vs a 10 day elk hunt where $1000 tip may be considered good.

If you order a $50 steak dinner and leave 20% and the next guy happens to order the same dinner with a $200 bottle of wine, does that waiter deserve 5 times the tip? I see the illogic in it all but have always followed the norms.

What about a $10,000 hunt with a $50,000 auction tag? Do you tip the tag value too??

Auction tags are completely separate service, not related to outfitter. Why would you tip what you paid the state? Same on a draw tag, you wouldn’t tip outfitter 10% of what you paid the state.

 

[2ski]

Haven't read any posts in this thread but saw it was tipping in the sheep forum.

Stay with cow tipping. Big horn sheep tipping sounds dangerous potentially. Leave it alone guy.