mule659 Posted November 22, 2005 Report Share Posted November 22, 2005 I am about to go on my first guided hunt the opener of next season and am wondering how much you should tip your guide? Anyone that has any advice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sasksheds Posted November 22, 2005 Report Share Posted November 22, 2005 Re: tipping your guide Where & for what?Depends how he treats you,the shape of his camp,how good the food & what you harvest.100$ wouldnt be out of the question.It might be enough to take his better half out for supper! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texan_Til_I_Die Posted November 22, 2005 Report Share Posted November 22, 2005 Re: tipping your guide Depending on your level of satisfaction, $50 - $60 dollars a day is typical. If you happen to take a world class animal, I'd suggest tipping as much as you can afford. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superguide Posted November 22, 2005 Report Share Posted November 22, 2005 Re: tipping your guide Man I wish I'd guided some of you guys lol. Funny thing is the guys who bragged the most in camp about money tipped the least-while the plain jane guys always came up with something.We never got many real 'rich' guys but the few we did were enough for me. As a guide it gets hard to take money from some of your hunters almost like taking money from a friend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rossman Posted November 22, 2005 Report Share Posted November 22, 2005 Re: tipping your guide Tipping a guide has nothing to do with, if you kill an animal. It has to do with the opportunities he creates for you. If he get's you a shot, that alone should increase the tip. If you miss, or step on a branch and spook the animal, the guide still did his job. If your guide does all the right things to get you in position to take a trophy animal. I would say about $300 - $400 per week. If you kill a world class trophy animal then $500 - $600 would be good. Remember, guides can't control the weather or control what the game does. Sometimes, the weather and game just doesn't want to co-operate. As long as your guide is working his butt off to get you a kill, he is doing his job. Now if your guide absolutely sucks, is loud in the woods, knows nothing about getting you close to game. Then I wouldn't tip him crap, maybe $50 bucks for gas. Or if he was absolutely worthless, couldn't cook worth a dam, then you don't have to tip him anything. Remember, he needs to work for his money!!!! --Rossman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-Daddy Posted November 22, 2005 Report Share Posted November 22, 2005 Re: tipping your guide My son,nephew and I were on a hunt in MT in late October. Two of us hunted both deer and pronghorn, and the third just hunted deer. We hunted 4 days and tipped our guides $200. My son was chasing a really big buck - wide, high, heavy, and lots of points 9 x 7. They never did get the big buck, but I gave the guide another $100 for working so hard to try for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michiganbowhunter_SQ2 Posted November 22, 2005 Report Share Posted November 22, 2005 Re: tipping your guide i'd probably tip them $100-$150 if it were a 3 or 4 day hunt....i wouldn't go 400 or 500 a week though....don't get me wrong, i believe they deserve a little something...but i wouldn't go as far as $300 or $400....that is thier job....if i just paid a couple thousand dollars for a hunting trip...i believe i shouldn't have to dish out a that much money for a tip for someone who is doing what they already get paid to do... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rossman Posted November 22, 2005 Report Share Posted November 22, 2005 Re: tipping your guide [ QUOTE ] i'd probably tip them $100-$150 if it were a 3 or 4 day hunt....i wouldn't go 400 or 500 a week though....don't get me wrong, i believe they deserve a little something...but i wouldn't go as far as $300 or $400....that is thier job....if i just paid a couple thousand dollars for a hunting trip...i believe i shouldn't have to dish out a that much money for a tip for someone who is doing what they already get paid to do... [/ QUOTE ] Say your hunt costs $3000. 15 percent of that is $450. 15 percent is an average tip. So $400 - 500 is adequate. Assuming the guide was very good and worked really hard. If we have the money to dish out $3000 for a hunt, then their is no reason to not be generous if your guide is good. Especially, if he get's you a shot or even more so, a kill!! I've seen it too many times. People say they believe in a good tip and people should be rewarded. But when it comes down to dig in that deep ol' pocket. It's hard for people to give what they should. That's just how people are. Anyway, a tip is just that, a tip. It's what the hunter thinks is good, and is what they think the guide "deserves". Some hunters are generous and some are not. Just tip what you think is deserved. Just because you pay alot of money to go on a hunt has nothing to do with what a guide should get in a tip. Ex. If you pay $15,000, should the guide not get anything? Well, if I'm paying this outrageous amount of money to go on a hunt, why should I have to tip the guide well, i mean he is working for me to get a kill!!! Not a good attitude to have!!!!! --Rossman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurkeyHunter Posted November 22, 2005 Report Share Posted November 22, 2005 Re: tipping your guide $300 - $400 per week is crazy I wish I had your kind of money! I'm sure the guide might deserve it but would think when your paying for a hunting trip the guide would be part of the services. But again I'm a person thats never been on a out of state hunt before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superguide Posted November 22, 2005 Report Share Posted November 22, 2005 Re: tipping your guide I put a guy in a great stand-150 class 5x5 in that area-first day out he shoots a little 4x4 might of scored 85-made a not great shot so I had a 3-400 yard drag to get it out of the bush-my tip at the end of the week $5. Remember how many guides you see on 'Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maryland_Bowhunter Posted November 23, 2005 Report Share Posted November 23, 2005 Re: tipping your guide I got one for the Guide ( don't eat yellow snow ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rossman Posted November 23, 2005 Report Share Posted November 23, 2005 Re: tipping your guide [ QUOTE ] I put a guy in a great stand-150 class 5x5 in that area-first day out he shoots a little 4x4 might of scored 85-made a not great shot so I had a 3-400 yard drag to get it out of the bush-my tip at the end of the week $5. Remember how many guides you see on 'Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.' [/ QUOTE ] Hey, I got your back man. You guides work hard for your money!!! And I am appreciative. that is why I always tip good guides very well!!!! The money you pay to go on a hunt goes to the owner of the outfitter. This money is used for things like your food, land lease, gas for the guides and some goes to paying the guide, but not much. The guide is working for you to kill an animal. Without that guide, scouting the area before you arrive, knowing travel patterns, transporting your butt to and from the hunting area, and knowing the terrain, you wouldn't have a chace in heck to get a kill. If your going to not give a good tip to good guides, then you shouldn't go on a guided hunt!!!! If you do not go, maybe a generous hunter which tips appropriatley, can go and appreciate the services and hard work rendered!!! Superguide, when I say you, I'm talking about the cheap tippers, not you bud!!!! --Rossman i Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michiganbowhunter_SQ2 Posted November 23, 2005 Report Share Posted November 23, 2005 Re: tipping your guide i'm not saying they shouldn't get anything...but i'm not going to give some crazy amount of money...i think $200 would be good enough for a 3-5 day trip...like i said...they are doing what they get paid to do...why should i have to give someone who is doing there JOB just as much money as they bring home on payday? $300-$400 is crazy in my eyes...and $500-$600 if you are lucky enough to harvest the animal?? come on now...some people save up all they can to be able to go on one of these trips...and for them to have to "tip" someone that much money at the end...gimme a break.....if you are lucky enough to have that much money laying around then go for it...tip all you want... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superguide Posted November 23, 2005 Report Share Posted November 23, 2005 Re: tipping your guide Like I said before alot of our hunters were just blue collar guys so you didn't expect much from them. You want to tick a guide off -brag at supper about how well off you are then stiff him at the end of the week. There's lots of little 'remedies' for guys like that lol. Most hunters are great guys-I considered them more like friends than clients so I never let the odd jerk get to me lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mule659 Posted November 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2005 Re: tipping your guide The hunt is in the milk river, mt for 5 days the first week of sept 2006. Thanks for all the help. Anyone ever been there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6sixpoint_nobrows Posted November 23, 2005 Report Share Posted November 23, 2005 Re: tipping your guide i agree it all depends....good luck out there on the milk river, its a great place too be! best of luck to ya~! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
otdrzmn04 Posted November 23, 2005 Report Share Posted November 23, 2005 Re: tipping your guide i went on a bear trip this year and had a great trip. my guide was the owner and it was just him and his wife running it. the oufitter said lodging, food, tracking, retrival, stands...everything was included. we had 10 hunters in camp and the outfitters did an awesome job....except on the retrival part. It is hard to get a bear out of the bush with two people and a tracking dog to hold on to on the way out. two of my friends and i woke up every morning but one to help the guide track and retrive bears. most everyone in camp was hunting with bows and some shots were not the best and carrying a bear a mile or two is alot of work. we did not tip anything to the outfitter when we left camp but i think the outfitter was more than happy with the help my friends and i gave. i did have an awesome time and have booked another hunt with the same outfitter. i managed to take what may be a P&Y bear....waiting to get the skull back and scored, but i felt my work was more than enough for a tip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texan_Til_I_Die Posted November 23, 2005 Report Share Posted November 23, 2005 Re: tipping your guide Good point about helping out with the chores. I rarely use a guide, but when I do, I always try to do whatever I can to help out. There's no excuse for sitting around on your lazy butt and letting someone else do all of the work. They're guides, not personal servants! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-Daddy Posted November 24, 2005 Report Share Posted November 24, 2005 Re: tipping your guide About the only thing our guides would let us do is caping and skinning. My son is a taxidermist and wanted the hides handled in his way, so the guides let us. Kenny showed them his method of caping deer. but he and I took care of the antelope ourselves - the two buck antelope are being used for life size mounts for his studio. As I said, we pooled our tips at $200 each for the guides and I added $100 due to the hard work the one guy did for my son. I'm not rich, but the extra $100 was something I wanted to do. I expect that guide will work extra hard for us when we go back in 2007. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stinger-Hunter Posted November 24, 2005 Report Share Posted November 24, 2005 Re: tipping your guide I always tip well when someone does something extra, otherwise, usually between 10-15% I don't think I would go on a guided hunt if I didn't have the money for a decent tip. I had a couple of guys help me "half and carry a deer out of some impossible woods back in 2000- I gave them the mount and paid to have it shipped to Virginia. Total cost $500. Ut was my first deer - They earned it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HuntnMa Posted November 24, 2005 Report Share Posted November 24, 2005 Re: tipping your guide i'm in the wrong business, lol........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevebeilgard Posted November 24, 2005 Report Share Posted November 24, 2005 Re: tipping your guide i've guied for 37 years, and been on dozens of guided hunts. so i'll tell both sides. superguide has it best. see how hard your guide works. is he any good? does he know the country, and work hard for your success? i've been stiffed by lots of rich folks, and i've been tipped well by common men who save for years to come on a hunt. but i always worked hard. we've all eaten in a restaurant. if the wait person does very well, they may get 20%. if they do average, they generally get 10-15%, and i have no problem leaving a penny for poor service (meaning yes, i didn't forget to tip, and here's what i think your service is worth). why would a good hunt be any different? if you have a great hunt, do the best you can afford. if it's a 10 dollar bill, just tell your guide that he did you great, and you wish you could do more, but you simply can't afford more. he'll appreciate that more than getting stiffed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WABS Posted November 25, 2005 Report Share Posted November 25, 2005 Re: tipping your guide I've been on a couple of outfitted hunts and I've read up on what the "experts" say. My going in position is that I'm expecting to tip 10% of the cost of the hunt. I factor that into the budget for my trip. My guide gets 10% if he does what I expect of him/her regardless of whether or not I take a trophy. The biggest thing for me is whether or not my guide made my week meet my expectations. If I take an animal the guide will likely get more. This year I took a nice whitetail in MT that had to be back packed off a mountain and my guide was there to do that and I rewarded him for it. These guides don't get a large cut of what you are paying for the hunt. I don't know if my situation was typical, but I do know my guide was paid by the Outfitter around $650 for the week, for a hunt that I paid $3550 for. Just something to think about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownie65 Posted November 25, 2005 Report Share Posted November 25, 2005 Re: tipping your guide [ QUOTE ] ....that is thier job.... [/ QUOTE ] I have guided for several people. Some outfitters pay their guides pretty good. The majority of them don't. Some get only gas money, some get $100 a day,some get only what they make on tips. I have been tipped anywhere from nothing to $400. I totally understand if a guy isn't loaded,as some of you say, but if you can afford to spend a couple thousand on a hunt you can afford at least a small tip. $ 20 is alot better than nothing. I agree it should be based on how happy you were with your guide & how much you can afford. Shoud not matter if you harvested a animal or not, thats why it is hunting. The biggest thing that bothers me is that some people seem to think because they are paying so much money to go hunt that the guides are getting paid great. That is not the case. I really appreciate a tip. Like I said I have gotten various amounts of money & stuff like cigars,hunting gear, etc. Doesn't always have to be money. I have worked hard for all my hunters. I do believe though that if you have guys that come back every year,some tip some don't,that I know who you would put in that little extra work for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stinger-Hunter Posted November 25, 2005 Report Share Posted November 25, 2005 Re: tipping your guide Man if I was ever a guide and someone didn't tip me and they still returned in a year or two...Oh man. I would make them walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and then I'd mess up their cape if they got one and then I'd complain of back problems if i had to carry the thing out to ensure that they helped, I'd set them up in the worst spot on the planet, and on and on and on.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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