I have never gone with a guide but I do know that some put their heart into it and go all out. I beleive that 10% would be appropriate. The guide is only getting his pay and tips are a major part of his or her income.
I can only say how I tip or do not tip Air Taxi's up here. I have had some great ones, and tip them 15% or even a little more, and have had others who I gave absolutely nothing because they did a horrible job. A tip is NOT mandatory, but I think you have to be realistic. If your guide gets you on animals and you miss, it's not his fault. If you refuse to get off your horse and hunt, it's not his fault. On the flip side, if he is lazy, takes you to an area with little game, forgets to pick you up at the airport, etc.--- hold him accountable.
The guide I went with on my bear hunt in '04 would not accept a tip. Some of them will be very modest. If you have a guide like mine he will go all out for you and not ask for anything in return. I did notice that he seemed very pleased when I asked him if I could be involved in everything from the baiting, to retriving, the bringing out of the woods, gutting, skinnning, and butchering. The only things he wouldnt let me do is retrive. That was because he wanted me to stay in my stand and direct him the direction the bear went.
When I started packing the meat into my cooler to take home the first thing I did after thanking him is offered him some meat of his choice. He was very pleased but all ready had two walk-in coolers full of caribou that him and his sons brought home from quebec the fall before.
I also got him a gift certifict to cabelas which he couldnt turn down and he was very pleased. To sum it all up a good attitude, helpfulness, and goin all out should be enough.
Andy
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A Computer lets you make more mistakes faster than any invention in human history--with the possible exception of handguns and tequila.
If he won't take money, give him something of yours he likes, a pair of binocuars, a spotting scope, a rifle. Assuming of course that your really want to tip him.
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Jest an ol' man livin' in the mountains.
andy o, was this guide the owner of the guide service? If so he was already getting a good price. Most guides who work for someone make a meager living. They usually get some pocket money plus room and board. Alot of them rely heavily on tips. It is like being a waitress. The closest I have ever come to getting a guide was hiring a charter boat captain for salmon fishing. It cost 400 for the day. He put me into a bunch of fish and I gave him a 100 bill at the end of the day. If and when I ever use him again you can bet that he will remember that I am a tipper and go the extra length the next time.
Elkcrazy8 is 100% correct, I will also add that if you go on a lot of guided hunts but don't tip well or at all. Then your name will get out there and will be circulated among the guides and outfitters, and your name will be mud. Some might even turn you down and refuse your bussiness, others will take you money knowing that you will not tip and put you in there worst area for success. Or with a new guide in training in a so so area. If you want a good hunt tip well and both the Outfitter and Guide will work there butt off to get you a chance at a trophy animal for the area they are guiding in.
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Vegetarian - Old Indian word for lousy hunter.
"The rich... who are content to buy what they have not the skill to get by their own exertions, these are the real enemies of game." -Theodore Rosevelt's Principals of the Hunt
I consider myself a good tipper. Sometimes I find myself tipping when I probably shouldn't due to the bad service. If I hire an outfitter and pay the much higher fee for a 1x1 guide, who gets the higher fee? The guide or outfitter? If I pay the outfitter $5000 for an elk hunt, plus another $200 per day for the 1x1, what should I tip the guide? Assuming that it's a great hunt that fills my expectations. Do you also tip the outfitter, the cook? Thanks!
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PRIORITIES: "A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove .....but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child."
Hunter-59 brings up a good point, there are people beside the guide to consider, the cook and wrangler if there's one.
I have only been on two guided hunts and I can't go by the 15% theory, tip what you want to tip. I sort of sat back and watched and listened while in camp cause I didn't know what to tip and what I saw/heard was that the "normal" tip for this place which was a 7 day archery elk hunt for mid 3K range, was 150-200 for the guide and another 50-100 for the cook. Other things factor in, did you have fun?? Was it what was promised?
Its all a personal thing and everyone treats tipping different.
Tipping your guide
