ORIGINAL: nctaxi
I woudl say that it all depends on your guide and his service. I have seen guides that plain out right sucked, didn't care and basically shouldn't work at McD's. Then there are the guides that work their tail off and truly care whether you get your "trophy". My best friend guides in Texas and has worked in Canada. I have watched him bust his tail and get squat, and go out with the next client and luck out(early kill)and get $800. So it really all depends on what you feel his service is worth. On something like an elk hunt, I don't feel that $500+ would be out of the ordinary. I have another friend who worked his butt off to get a moose for a guy, skinned and quartered and lugged it out, while the client did squat but pull the trigger. His tip = nothing. Don't be one of those guys that doesn't appreciate the guide.
I agreeto tip or not tip should not bebased upon your taged being punched or not. If your guide works his butt off for you he desivers to be tipped. To manyclients base thier tipping on thier success, sometimes factors out of are control such as weather make a hunt unsuccessful, no matter who the guide is.Anyway to answer your question you should tip a guide anyware between 10 to 20 percent of your hunt. If they do a great job and you have the money to do it I would try to tip them very well. If you plan on returing and hunting with the same outfitter again. It will be in your best intrest tobe a good tipper and on the next hunt they will go out of thier way to put you in the best spot at the best time of year and so on.