From my perspective, the choice of whether and how much to tip a guide does not depend on whether I harvest an animal or how big it was. Rather, I base the decision on how knowledgable the guide was about his hunting area, how hard he worked for me, his dedication to getting the job done, and how personable he was.

I have been on hunts where a top notch guide in an excellent area worked his tail off for me and yet we did not harvest an animal. Things such as weather, sudden wind shifts on stalks, the variances of migration patterns, and a host of other factors can thwart even a top notch guide. In such cases I always have given a good tip.

On the other hand, even a semi-lazy mediocre guide in a poor area will luck onto a super trophy animal once in a while. While I may tip such a guide, rest assured that it will be a smaller tip than the excellent guide on an unsuccessful hunt.