I have no problem tipping when sincere effort has been expended on my behalf.Twice in my life I have been on guided hunts,twice I have given tips.First guided hunt the outfitter was a thief who allowed all his guides to hunt at the same time the clients were hunting and then they attempted to conceal their kills from us suckers.Class act,I still tipped the cook it wasn't her fault he was a thief.
Second guided trip One on one with the outfitter,I knew the guy flat out lied to me when prior to booking with him when I had asked about Winter kill,he told me his area had not been effected.We saw a total of three deer in 6 days of walking and glassing,we were walking 10 plus miles per day.I still tipped him because he worked his butt off,he really tried to put me on game,he just couldn't find it and he knew why.Unfortunately some learning experiences are expensive and emotionally painful.An outfitter has to pay their bills whether there is winter kill or not,or whether a host of other things have happenned which can influence your hunt.I doubt I will ever use an outfitter again,my DIY hunts over the last 8 years have been a blast.If I do I will research the snot out of it.
I feel sorry for the smaller outfitters in a way because of the difficulty of finding good consistent help.Some outfitters are lucky to get two seasons out of a guide,how well can they know the country if that is the case?