How much to tip a guide

[ANTLERS]

I'll be leaving next friday for a Moose hunt in Vermont.For his fee,The guide Ive hired is scouting heavily in the zone were hunting,He will make arrangements to remove the moose,If successful,to the check station and handle all butchering.He's not providing food or lodgeing.Successful or not,Assuming he works hard,Lives up to his reputation as advertised as a reputable outfitter,What percentage of his guide fee should be a decent tip?Ive never been on a guided hunt before so I have nothing to go on.

[burmjohn]

10% if you don't get a moose 20% if you do?

[BizCT]

as a base level, I usually give 10% to the guide 5% to the cook. Lots of times the cook is the guides wife.

If I get something, I am usually in a pretty good mood and then give more in addition to the 10% to the guide.

It also depends on the cost of the hunt/charter. On a $300 fishing charter, I give $50 if its sucessful (16-17%). On a $5,000 hunt, I'd give like $750 (15%).

[ANTLERS]

10% is about what I figured.And yeah If he puts me on to a big bull,He gets a few extra peso's.He sent me a picture of a bull he guided for in '09.Scouted heavy all week,opening day they found him in the same spot and dropped him 15 minutes into opening day.

[G-Man]

10% min unless hes a doofuss.. then maybe 5% .. if he did what you expected and more (putting you on a trophy(not nessasarly getting it but the opportunity to) 10% or more maybe cash and a knife if yours he admired ..or range finder.

[steve863]

There are some $5000 or more deer hunts where all the guide does is drive you to your deer stand and then picks you up for lunch or at the end of the day and then maybe helps you throw the deer into the truck if you get one. I would think giving the guide a 10% tip ($500) in a case like that is way more than generous in comparison to one who climbed sheep mountains with you or packed an elk out on his back for you. To me it all depends on how much the guide actually worked on the hunt. Believe me, guides get tipped way less than 10% by most hunters. They could only wish that everyone gave them a $500 tip. A lot of guys who go on hunts have to save long and hard for their trips, most especially these days and how expensive some of these hunts can be. Not many have the extra $500 to $1000 to throw at the guide as a tip.

[BizCT]

I agree and also in some cases like British Columbia (if I remember correctly) you cannot legally hunt without your guide being with you at all times.

[Pygmy]

I'd say 10% would be plenty, ESPECIALLY if the guide/outfitter is the same person.

On the few guided hunts have been on, a C-note was about as much as anybody tipped. That's what I gave my guide this fall for my Newfie moose hunt. I was not opposed to tipping higher, but that is what my hunting partners were tipping, and they have been hunting with the same outfit for several years.

[the blur]

Your tipping $500-$750 !!!!!

WOW.

I think that's a bit extreme.

[Lockel25]

If you don't get one tip him in peso's

[Pygmy]

Your tipping $500-$750 !!!!!

WOW.

I think that's a bit extreme.

I agree...My first guided hunt was a caribou hunt for central barren ground caribou in NWT, Canada. The hunt fee was $2800 and the hunters in my camp were tipping $100-200...

Hunt prices have increased dramatically since then. Still, for a $4000 hunt in 2006, most guys still tipped $100-200.

My hunt cost this year in Newfoundland was $4200...The guys that I was hunting with tipped the guides about $100 and the cook about $50 and they seemed very pleased. Perhaps I just hunt with a bunch of cheapskates. I never talked to anyone that tipped $500 to $750 for any hunt.

My experience with guided hunts has been limited. Most of my hunts have been unguided DIY...

[BizCT]

I just prefer to give even #'s.

I am going on a Bobcat Hunt for $1600 in Minnesota in December. If sucessful, I'd give $200, which comes out to like 12%.

When I go to Wyoming for Mule/Antelope and its $5200, if I am sucessful and harvest a nice Muley and Antelope I will have no problem giving at least 10% ($500).

If I were to get skunked and not have an oppportunity to shoot, its a different story I guess.

[AdkExp]

Very interesting comments...

As a guide I know what goes into a hunt long before the hunters arrive. It's not just what they do once you arrive.

In my case, I guide in the Adirondacks but live about 2 hrs from the property. Starting in May I am there at least once if not twice a week scouting, putting out trail cams, liming and planting food plots. Tree stands, ground blinds, fuel and time all cost money. I know how many clients have to be booked in order to break even. Tips are the only real profit for most outfitters.

I know that most of you guys are in a much better mood when you kill something. Hence the tips tend to be better. But the guide really doesn't work any harder when your successful (except for game care) than when you're not successful.

[Pygmy]

Well, when a moose is involved, game care is a WHOLE LOT more work if you are successful than if you are not.

I am aware of that, because most of my hunts have been DIY rather than guided.

My guide worked hard trying to get me a moose, and I tipped him the same amount that my buddies who WERE successful tipped thier guides. He felt bad that he could not get me within rifle range of a moose. If I had killed one, I would have tipped more for the hard work of taking care of the game.

[Rev Ev]

on my trips, I've done 1-200 for hunts that cost up to $2500. I've not had a trip that cost more than that I think $500 on a $5K trip is a bit much, especially since that guide is usually getting a fair share (if its not his outfit). But if I was just guided to a record moose in Maine, I might be that generous.

[Sab]

This topic comes up on every hunting board every year. Ive tipped ff it were the owner who was guiding me and Ive tipped the guides. Ive tipped if I was successful and Ive tipped if I wasnt. Ive not tipped to. You need to give more specifics like how much are you paying and what are you getting for it ? Any days with the guide or is he just gonna say "heres where I found him, if you get him call me" Ive done the 10% thing up to 25% and I always tip the cook if there is one whether I get something or not

[aoudadhunter]

I've had everything from a 50% tip to no tip. The 50% tip was from a man that's hunted with me for years and at that time I was just a guide and the ranch was selling a $4000 hunt for $1600 so my tips were always 20-30%. But you also have to consider I maintained a 100% success record for 2 years. And the no tip guys I don't think had ever been on a guided hunt and were not aware your supposed to tip.