Originally Posted by
Topgun 3006
And where, Sir, did you come up with those percentages? I've been around a long time and never seen those numbers or any others, other than people theorizing on threads such as this. What do you call a "cheap trip" and what is a "high-end trip", as I've also never seen those terms mentioned anywhere before, or is that just your philosophy?
Dear Lord, someone forgot to chain the junkyard dog up again.
This has been my experience over the years (probably 10 guided hunts and 100 charter fishing trips). Charter boat captains where I have fished (Cape Cod, Chesapeake, NJ shore, Outer Banks, Florida, Lake Erie, Ontario, Huron & Michigan, etc) usually post a sign with tipping policies on their boats, 15-20%. I realize this is a hunting forum, not a fishing forum, so here are a couple links I dug up quickly.
http://www.outdoorlife.com/articles/...-hunting-guide
http://www.huntthenorth.com/guidetipping.html
http://www.doublethunting.com/faqs/
I also have friends who guide, and they claim they make almost nothing and depend on tips to survive. They've told me the industry standard is about 15%, some folks are more generous than others, if you question my claim, let me know and I will e-mail you their name, rank, serial number, and e-mail addresses.
They've also told me they remember the stiffs more than they remember those who do tip, if they ever come back.
My theory on what is a "cheaper" trip? Anything under $2,000. It's all relative though, as mentioned, if I feel like they gave 110%, I'll leave a nicer gratuity, if I feel like their heart wasn't in it, I'll leave a smaller gratuity. As far as leaving a smaller tip on a more expensive hunt, the guide/cooks/outfitters know that not everyone is a high-roller, most of us save all year to go on a $5,000+ elk or moose hunt, and they are not expecting a $750 tip, but would be thrilled if you left $500.