What Do You Tip Your Guide?

[Neil San Diego]

Going to go on a guided hunt this weekend with Tom Willoughby. I would like to hear what everyone here feels is a decent tip for the guide? What are your experiences?

Thanks for the info,

Neil

 

[Speckmisser]

Neil,

I try to do at least 10%, or give them something of value. Depends a lot on a couple of factors.

If the guide is also the business owner, I'm less inclined to do a monetary tip since he's collecting the fee. On the other hand, if he busts his ass for me, I don't care about the fee... I'm tipping.

I almost always tip the assistants, since in many cases that's what they're working for. I can't speak for all cases, but I do know that a lot of guides pay their assistants very little or nothing, so if they don't get a tip they don't even get the gas money for coming out.

For more info, do a search on this topic when you get a chance, and you'll see a couple of very long discussions and some very divergent opinions.

 

[SDHNTR]

10% for good service. More for excellent service and/or lots of hard work. I usually tip my guide $50-100 for a $450 hunt.

 

[Farallon]

I usually tip from 10-20%.

I occasionally get comments from others regarding my tipping, they are usually negative comments. I factor the amount of the tip into my trip budget. I found a
tip generates a lot of goodwill, I am remembered on my next trip. I also share my food with guides.

Note: I have not hired a hunting guide, but have used fishing guides many times over the years.

 

[Timjackson]

This has been batted around before.. Do a search in this forum and you will get a ton of bickering about how to do it.. Bottom line is just do what you think is right....

 

[Neil San Diego]

Thanks for the replies. I didn't even think to do a search, my apologies. The search turned up a wealth of info on top of what has already been posted here.

Thanks again!

Neil

 

[HOGHUNTER714]

10-20% as a rule....Tom and Blake work there butts off to get you on pigs. I went with them last year and Blake's friend really went out of his way. I shot my hog on a hill. The hog rolled down into a 200 foot STEEP ravine. Before I could put my gun back in the truck Blakes buddy was down the hill and put the hog on his shoulders to hike him out. Good experience with that guide.