RE: SHOULD THE HUNTER TIP A GUIDE?
Lets look at this from the otherside of the coin. I've spent my days as just a guide and not an outfitter. Now I' am both but here's the real deal on how guides are hired and treated. Guides are hired mostly in a seasonal position most do odd jobs all year so they can do their on true love hunt. An outfitter will hire them on a average for about $400 a week. But for the 18 to 19hrs a day all week long a western guide puts in it works out to about $4.50 an hour. Yeah amazing isn't it. Its not the outfitters responsiblilty to tip the guide for the hunter. Sometimes the outfitter will split up a tip that he gets to the guides. I'm glad my business is a family one with no outside help it keeps things flowing smoothly.
If a client kills a animal and had a time of their life they should aleast give the cook and the guide something. Is $20 a bank buster? Even if a person does not kill and had a great time this should be the case.
Usually the only people that never tipped in my experiences were rude tightass people. Don't be a rude person.
One client just barely had enough money to make the trip of a lifetime for a working class man. He had saved three years to come kill an elk on a guided hunt, his dreams were everything he expected. After the kill and back at camp he walked up to me all sad faced and shook my hand and gave me three cans of copenhagen and said its all I can do. I'll remember his gesture of thanks forever. The real tip was seeing the man's smile on his face after his dream was on the ground. Also one of very few men that actually helped me take care of the animal after the kill. That's a real person. Thanks Ted.
Tip the cook also they work hard and alot of hours. And for god sakes be a fellow man.
One note on the other side of the coin if the hunt is a horrible disaster because of the outfitters arrangements and responsibility then by all means keep the money in your pocket.