jerry d

I agree with you 100% TwoBear,shot placement is what it's about.I've seen too many guys at the range with magnums that can't shoot them worth a crap!!!!

Bob H in NH

Two follow up questions here:

1) I know the kill is not the make or break in the hunt, at least for me. But suppose you kill the elk on day 1 of a 7 day hunt. Does this effect teh tip? Also TwoBears, what do these lucky hunters then do?

2) What about using equipment as the tip? I've heard of this, giving the guide a good pair of binoculars for example. What are you thoughts on this? One guide I hunted with I tipped with money. However when Christmas came, I also sent him, via the outfitter, a framed picture of the guide glassing some Idaho mountains, it was beautiful. I attached a note to the daughter who was 3 saying "this is what you dad is doing when he's away, it's a beautiful place that I know he'd love to take you."

Got a great note from the guide thanking me for the picture.

Money is great, but sometimes little things help to!

treeman101

A friend and I own a hunting business thats only about 400 per night. We give 110% to our hunters some even go home with 15-18 hogs in one night depending on how well they can shoot a moving target. Our guestbook is full of great reviews and happy hunters but very seldom do we get a tip. We don't ask for one but always remember your guide can somewhat dictate how the hunt goes. Thats just part of the business sometimes you get one but most of the time not.

jerry d

I was wondering the same thing.I feel the same about the kill also. I never went hunting and had a bad hunt wheather I harvested an animal or not.

TwoBear

I can't speak for other outfits, but in our outfit the guide will accompany the hunter the next day getting the meat to the locker in town, then a trip to the taxidermist etc. That usually eats up day two. Many times it will be a couple buddies but if it is a one on one hunt they will go grouse hunting, fishing, and horseback riding etc. Sometimes clients also have deer/bear tag as well. Sometimes I will take over with the clients for a day or two and have the guide go guide my client(s), really depends. Other times the guide may spend a day just back packing the meat out of a hole and getting it back to camp. A guides responsibilty toward his client do not end when the animal is down, not in our camps anyway.

As far as equipment that does happen also and that is fine. Equipment is a matter of personal choice and taste for the guide so it's kinda different. Your gesture was awesome Bob, I can't imagine any of our guides that wouldn't have loved getting a pic like that, it also shows your appreciation for your guides hard work and that means a lot to guides. I think it is important to remember that guides are low paid folks, when you factor in how many hours they work, the type of work, plus no over time pay, they are making very little. They do not get any tips most of the season. That is because they have the camp set up, trail clearing, packing in hay, scouting, cutting/splitting/stacking several cords of wood, camp break down etc that all gets done long before the first hunter arrives, and long after the last one departs. They attend seminars and practice calling through out the off season as well in addition to what other job they have. So the actual guiding in the field is only about half of what they do in a hunting season. It takes a lot of man hours to properly prepare for the hunters arrival. Many guides will also pick up/ drop off clients with me as well.

Wyodog

Ok guys I pose these questions for you to concider while you think about how much to tip your guide.

Do you expect your guide to know where animals are and to know the country? I'm sure you do. This requires hours and days of preseason scouting. Nearly always unpaid and at the guides expense for fuel and everything else.

Do you expect him/her to be able to locate your prey? This requires quality optics at he guides on expense

Is your guide supplying a pickup or other transpiration? This also is at the guides expense in most cases including the fuel.

As a professional guide for the past 17 years I have had supply hunters with a variety of items such as boots, shooting sticks, a pack, and the list goes on and on. I have needed for the hunter to use my rifle more than once. All of this at my expense. It is my job to be prepared.

Guides get paid $125 - $200 a day. At that rate if you kill on the first day a guide supplying a vehicle losses money. And may not work until the next group of hunters come in.

Speaking for myself, as a guide it has been my experience that that most ill prepared and hardest guys to get an animal for are the worst tippers.

Although tips are optional and I think that the tip amount depends on the service you receive please don't forget that a guide doesn't make enough money to buy the tools he needs to give you a quality hunt. That's why we all have other jobs besides guiding.

I will also say that there are some who posted above that I hope I never have to guide in my career.