Hello,
Shortly I will be leaving for my first mule deer and antelope hunt. Before I head out I would like to know how much people reccommend that you tip the quide for this type of hunt. The hunt is a 4000.00 all inclusive guided hunt. It will be a 2 on 1 hunt with my father costing us a total of 8000.00 to the outfitter.
Thanks for any help.
Dave
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I say that, but I usually give a guide $300 on a $4000 hunt like that if he's really above board and makes life easier on me. In a camp with a cook, it's usually $50 to $100 tip there depending on the quality of the food and the condition of the camp. There are so many variables there, that you just play it by ear so that's why I stick to the 5% rule. If the outfitter IS the guide, then I temper my tip accordingly as he's pocketed the rest of my money as a fair price for services rendered already. Some of my well heeled customers will tip 20%, but I don't have that kind of money as I've saved most of it over the years just to pay the outfitter and airlines.
I guide on a well known so-tx ranch, the customary tip is 10% of the cost of the hunt, that is the amount I tip on my guided hunts.
But, I'd say it can depend on the guide and hunt. If the guide is obviously doing his best to get you what you're there for, then 10% in customary for a quality hunt. If you kill a giant buck or bull or whatever, then you might go more....Steve
Restauranteers gave us that "customary" crap when they wanted to underpay waiters and waitresses, and if you guys get hung up on that "customary" crap, you're wrong. It's now 15% and in some parts of bigger cities, it's 20%. Some of the restaurants aren't even giving you a choice any longer and ADD that "customary" on to your bill directly.
I figure it this way, I use 5% because that's fair for a salaried worker who draws a check whether I take an animal or not. IF on the odd chance I take a bragging sized animal then it's more. I just got back from Brady Ranch in Florida. I was charged $1500 for the hunt, $250 for the guide and $100 for the room per night on a one day hunt. I got a nice Axis deer, but I was the one who caped it out along with the other deer and water buffalo my friends took. I gave the guy $100 and the cook $50.
Several years back I went to Alaska for Dall Sheep. The cost up front was $6000. I hunted for 5 miserable days in 80 degree heat fighting mosquitos and alder thickets getting up to squirrely peaks that were devoid of life exept for pika's. I left with no bad feelings about not taking an animal, but I damned sure wasn't going to give my guide $600 for a nature tour of the Chugach mountains.
I don't want hunting to ever be associated with "customary" and with the restaurant industry. JUST MY OPINION.
I went on a bou hunt last year in Labrador and there were 4 guides with 2 hunters per guide. We rode for miles in the tundra per day on snow mobiles. The first day he got mixed up on the snow mobile drop place and we lost a day of hunting so we drove around (road hunted all day)! Our guide was always the last in line with us in tow, we only got 1 bou (everybody else in camp got 2 apiece) and my buddy only got his because I saw it standing in the timber driving out the last day in the last half hour of legal light. Oh we did see bou, but by the time we got to them the other guys in the front of us were off the skis shooting! Our guide insisted on following behind other guides all day (even though I asked him several times to break away) so at the hunts end I gave him 75.00 and my buddy gave 100.00 No hard feelings. Like George said "its all relative to the hunt"
I have hunted in places that the hunt was so economical that to tip 20% would seem too low. The service was excellent, and the guides worked hard for the hunters. they made you feal like family. And showed great respect.
Then on the other hand I have hunted with outfitters that utilized poor guides. I once hunted for elk in Idaho. It was by no means an inexpensive hunt. my guide was more interested in hunting shed antlers than hunting a live elk. Whenever we stopped to glass, or just look for passing elk. he fell asleep. His calling skills were non existent and I often felt he knew nothing about elk hunting. I tipped him NOTHING just what he deserved, and earned. To Me a tip is not Mandatory. And I never hunt with outfits that include the tip in the price.
Thanks for your time and all the good advise.
Dave
Your average tip on our hunts was $350 to $400 on a $5,000 elk hunt. Sometimes more ,sometimes less. We did everything as guides. The cooking, tending the horses, guiding, and field care of the game taken. Although the money was nice as a tip some of the best things I was given were custom knives, binoculars, a rifle etc. Some of the tips like the rifle were given by two hunters. I still have those tips and can remember each hunt and hunter. The cash tips are always welcome but somehow always ended up as beer money LOL. The biggest tip I was ever given was by a customer who didn't even get a shot at an animal but saw how hard we worked to try and get him one. It was some of the crappiest weather I have ever hunted in. It's not always about killing the animal. Tip according to the expertise of your guide. 10% to me was awesome, 15% was WOW.