Tipping your guide
 

Going on a Mule deer hunt in 06 and was wondering how much you usually tip your guide. Assuming you had a fabulious hunt of a life time!!!!

RE: Tipping your guide
 

I have never gone with a guide but I do know that some put their heart into it and go all out. I beleive that 10% would be appropriate. The guide is only getting his pay and tips are a major part of his or her income.

RE: Tipping your guide
 

Longbeard,

I can only say how I tip or do not tip Air Taxi's up here. I have had some great ones, and tip them 15% or even a little more, and have had others who I gave absolutely nothing because they did a horrible job. A tip is NOT mandatory, but I think you have to be realistic. If your guide gets you on animals and you miss, it's not his fault. If you refuse to get off your horse and hunt, it's not his fault. On the flip side, if he is lazy, takes you to an area with little game, forgets to pick you up at the airport, etc.--- hold him accountable.

RE: Tipping your guide
 

The guide I went with on my bear hunt in '04 would not accept a tip. Some of them will be very modest. If you have a guide like mine he will go all out for you and not ask for anything in return. I did notice that he seemed very pleased when I asked him if I could be involved in everything from the baiting, to retriving, the bringing out of the woods, gutting, skinnning, and butchering. The only things he wouldnt let me do is retrive. That was because he wanted me to stay in my stand and direct him the direction the bear went.

When I started packing the meat into my cooler to take home the first thing I did after thanking him is offered him some meat of his choice. He was very pleased but all ready had two walk-in coolers full of caribou that him and his sons brought home from quebec the fall before.

I also got him a gift certifict to cabelas which he couldnt turn down and he was very pleased. To sum it all up a good attitude, helpfulness, and goin all out should be enough.

Andy

RE: Tipping your guide
 

If he won't take money, give him something of yours he likes, a pair of binocuars, a spotting scope, a rifle. Assuming of course that your really want to tip him. ;)

RE: Tipping your guide
 

andy o, was this guide the owner of the guide service? If so he was already getting a good price. Most guides who work for someone make a meager living. They usually get some pocket money plus room and board. Alot of them rely heavily on tips. It is like being a waitress. The closest I have ever come to getting a guide was hiring a charter boat captain for salmon fishing. It cost 400 for the day. He put me into a bunch of fish and I gave him a 100 bill at the end of the day. If and when I ever use him again you can bet that he will remember that I am a tipper and go the extra length the next time.

RE: Tipping your guide
 

Elkcrazy8 is 100% correct, I will also add that if you go on a lot of guided hunts but don't tip well or at all. Then your name will get out there and will be circulated among the guides and outfitters, and your name will be mud. Some might even turn you down and refuse your bussiness, others will take you money knowing that you will not tip and put you in there worst area for success. Or with a new guide in training in a so so area. If you want a good hunt tip well and both the Outfitter and Guide will work there butt off to get you a chance at a trophy animal for the area they are guiding in.

RE: Tipping your guide
 

I consider myself a good tipper. Sometimes I find myself tipping when I probably shouldn't due to the bad service. If I hire an outfitter and pay the much higher fee for a 1x1 guide, who gets the higher fee? The guide or outfitter? If I pay the outfitter $5000 for an elk hunt, plus another $200 per day for the 1x1, what should I tip the guide? Assuming that it's a great hunt that fills my expectations. Do you also tip the outfitter, the cook? Thanks!

RE: Tipping your guide
 

Hunter-59 brings up a good point, there are people beside the guide to consider, the cook and wrangler if there's one.

I have only been on two guided hunts and I can't go by the 15% theory, tip what you want to tip. I sort of sat back and watched and listened while in camp cause I didn't know what to tip and what I saw/heard was that the "normal" tip for this place which was a 7 day archery elk hunt for mid 3K range, was 150-200 for the guide and another 50-100 for the cook. Other things factor in, did you have fun?? Was it what was promised?

Its all a personal thing and everyone treats tipping different.

--Bob

RE: Tipping your guide
 

I try to tip 10-20% for good service.

RE: Tipping your guide
 

There are a lot of variables to consider, as mentioned above, so it's up to you to weigh in your mind how hard did the guide work for you. On my moose hunt in AK last fall, our guide not once spotted any, NOT ONE, game animal before my buddy and I did. We could out walk him too, up hill or down!! BUT after I put my moose down, we helped cape and de-bone and then HE carried more than his share of weight when we packed the meat back to camp, plus he fixed all of our meals and carried survival gear every where we went, cleaned the pots and pans, and we had good conversation for 10 days! He also carried all of the caribou meat to the pick up point, as fast as we could butcher, he was back for another load and he was carrying the caribou meat about a quarter mile!So we took it all into account, weighed the pluses and minuses, and tipped what we thought was appropriate, and he seemed quite pleased!! When we were leaving, we invited him to the lower states to hunt on our private property and he invited us up for some fishing!!
I actually asked him what the best tip was that he had ever recieved and it was a new .500 S&W from a S&W rep. that had hunted with him.

RE: Tipping your guide
 

If my guide puts me on to trophy game or fish it is 20%. When I return the next year they remember and are eager to do it again.

RE: Tipping your guide
 

Those people work hard and long hours for the wages that they recieve. A guide, succesful or not, if he works his butt off for you, minimum $200, cook $100, wrangler $150. Hell it is your once a year treat, whats another $450 on a $5000 hunt?

RE: Tipping your guide
 

I had a great Mule deer hunt with a guide this year in New Mexico. I didn't realize it, but as we stalked one deer, he was watching another group for the type I wanted. We switched mid-stalk, and I got a great deer. I tipped him $100, and a custom knife from these guys [link]http://www.mccroskeyknives.com/[/link]. He was pretty thrilled about the knife.

RE: Tipping your guide
 

Easy to remember, $100 per day for your guide and $10 per day for each cook. THE fastest way to be invited back by a reputable (and quickly booked up) outfitter is to take care of his employees. If you are invited back by the owner/outfitter after a hunt, then you "took care of business", if not you did something wrong. The most common way of not getting a "re-invite" is under or non-tipping.

Don't get "cheap" with guys who are gonna put you on the game and take care of you. I hunted with one guide in the Gila in NM and his oldest brother (they were a multi-generational family of guides) was accustomed to tips that spanned in the $10s of thousands per hunt and one repeat customer even threw him the keys to his brand new Z-71 ext cab and took a plane home. Now thats obviously an example thats on the other side or the spectrum, the gentleman who give his truck away kills the BIGGEST bulls year in and year out. Who do you think the guide (who lives there and watches the animals year-round) is gonna take into his most prime areas, someone who he isn't familiar with or thinks might get cheap on him. Or someone who is gonna supplement his annual salary quite handsomely?

Hate to see how expensive things are gettin btw,
RA

RE: Tipping your guide
 

Hunting will largely die out with this generation, due to rich hunters, and the ranchers that live off leasing them land at outrageous prices. Except in the west, where there is Federal land, and I'm not sure I'd count on that

RE: Tipping your guide
 

jnclement the guide I am speaking of IS on federal lands (Gila and Apache National Forests in western NM). The guide looks at his obscene tips as payment for all his hard work of finding and becoming familiar with LARGE bulls (380"+) by the time season rolls around. He has done so well in fact that his only job is the month and a half he spends guiding his clients during NM elk season. The rest of the season he spends with his family, doing a lil fishing and spending probably a LARGE percentage of his time slogging through the moutains looking for and becoming familiar with other large bulls for next year. Alot of guides go back to work in various trades in other locales. Not him, he has become so intimate with the elk in the Gila region that he has become good enough to make a handsome living off guiding them. Because he works harder (and MUCH longer) at it than most guides, I feel he is justified in his larger rewards. Though the hunters are only there for a small bit of time each year, he spends the better part of 12 mths out of the year doing something that relates too those very bulls that pay his bills. I think its a pretty neat gig he has going if you ask me.

As for the "rich hunters" ruining the sport in our lifetimes. Who do you think laid the groundwork for what became the restoration efforts of the first half century in the 1900s? Teddy Roosevelt, Nash Buckingham, Fred Bear, Ben Pearson, Roy Weatherby, Howard Hill... they get the name "rich hunters" tied too them many times in a conversation. Yet its EXACTLY men like them that we can thank today for doing ALOT for our sport. And sure, alot of it was directly influenced by the money that each of them had (some of them had family money). Ol Joe the clockpunchin stiff didnt have the time to get out and chase em from the 4 winds, alot of what we know about game and mgmt came from such hunting escapades of just such men. I for one am GLAD that there is money in the sport. Lord knows we couldnt count on the workin stiffs, the govt or anti-hunters to foot the bills in all cases. It had to come from somewhere.

BTW if you think ranchers/farmers are exploiting hunters now, just wait until the new farm bills aimed at reducing subsidies takes ahold. Lease rates will SKYROCKET. And thats not because Donald Trump took up deerhunting, its because Joe the oil filter jockey decided to buy his food at walmart because it was from South America and was cheaper. Likewise he also complained too his senators about how much money the "rich American farmers" were being paid in subsidies so the programs were cut or eliminated.

If it wasnt for the desire to "grow em big" and produce healthy herds in the name of economic prosperity, the elk herds of most western states would simply be like those of Colorado for much of the 70s through the mid 90s. Simply there to stop bullets. But through profit motivation and sometimes costly restrictions and conservation the trophy producing areas of the west are better now than perhaps ever before.

$$$$ aint always the evils of our society,
RA

RE: Tipping your guide
 

I didn't know this and I guess we did something right because the outfitter contacted us after we sent him our success pictures and offered us a discount on our next hunt with him.:)

RE: Tipping your guide
 

Roosevelt, Weatherby, Bear Yes they were all rich PEOPLE and absolutlety did great things for our sport. However There was no "list" of guides to pick back then it was word of mouth. "Teddy" did not get on the internet and search where to hunt Elk. Hunting for them was cheaper then dirt. Who paid to hunt back then other than rich people? This has all change big time in the last 30 years.
Anyone 40 or older has seen the change. Last week at a show 2 seperate outfitters told me majority of there clients are over 45...Why ? Most people under that age are raising families or just bought a house. They can not afford these prices guides are charging. So what are they going to do when the "rest of us" realize they are too expensive?

Opportunities
 

The Rich are not going to ruining your chance to take an animal, it's the lazy.

Sorry guys, but gone are the days when you could drive around, drink beer, and shoot a deer then throw him in the pickup truck and drive home. Frankly, why would you want to do that anyway? Where is the fun.


There is plenty of game on public land IF you are ready to work your ass off. I get animals every year, and it doesn't matter if it's in Colorado or Alaska. I will be successful. Why? Simple, I work hard for the game. I train, research, and have good and appropriate gear to get back from the roads where the game tends to hange once it's been pushed. Times have changed and if you want to get into animals, you better change too. You don't need a string of horses and wall tents (nice to have though), you DO need a good external frame packpack and some Meindl boots though.

Guided hunts make it easier for YOU. You don't have to research your area, you don't have to research and pick your gear, and you usually don't have to walk in a long ways or pack out your own meat.

There is lots of opportunity. If you are too lazy to get off of your 4-wheeler or your truck to take advantage, it's nobody's fault but your own.

RE: Tipping your guide
 

Well this topic sure is interesting as an owner operator of a whitetail outfitting operation in North West Ontario Canada ,all I have to say about tips is if the people working for you make your stay and your hunt a fantastic time and a great success let them know that ,you know the money is not allways the most important thing if you treat my staff good and give them a little something to show them you appreciated all the hard work they did for you,well there would always be room at the inn.
Treat them bad and well I would allways be full when you called. and we do work our butts off for every hunter.Most outfitters are run by family and close friends and most people I guide become our friends.

RE: Tipping your guide
 

10 percent

RE: Tipping your guide
 

tipping is a sore subject for me, some of you might disagree with me but here is why (and first off, it is not because i am trying to save a dollar either). When was the last time anyone ever gave you a tip?? i own a constuction company an i tell you, no one has ever gave me 10% more than what the final bill came to. i would say majority of the people are trying to screw me out of money, why does this cost so much, what about this what about that. i am out there busting my @#$ for these people to give them thier dream house and i can tell you, no one has ever gave me nothing. sometimes i wonder why i even get up in the morning (oh yeah to make other people happy) i have been in business for 25 years here and have done well, but i tell you, if i was to take one of these guiding trip, i sure as hell would leave no tip, they allready soak you a couple of grand (or more)so they are allready getting their cut, thats what they get paid to do, why give more??? because they did a good job? i do a good job too but what do i get??? i think you all know by now. so that is where i stand on tipping people, i dont agree with it, i do not tip at restaurants either because half the time the tip you left doesnt even go to that waiter/waitress it goes into a collection for that night and then every staff member get a cut, as well as the cooks, well tell me this, if one staff member say gets 100 dollars in tips that night and another gets 50, well the person that only got 50 will come out with 75 and the one that got 100 just lost 25 dollars because they now have 75 as well, because of this collection system and i think, well, the person i just gave that tip to should get what i gave them not split up amongst everone eaqually. anyways thats why i am so against tipping, and like i said it is not because i am cheap or anthing like that. and before you all start replying back to me about and calling me a prick or whatever i just want to say that this is my opinion only. i do hope that some of you agree with me but if you dont that is fine you are entitled to your onpinions too. thanks for listening to what i have to say.

RE: Tipping your guide
 

Welp after reading all the responces to this post I will not be going on this hunt:(

3500 for the hunt

200-300 for plane fair

300 for license

350.00 for the guide or I will have to be afriad to go back

God only knows what the cook and everybody else wants

Then the price to send my meat back whats that 100-200 bucks or more

And last but not least the mount another 500.00

so let me add this up

3500 outfitter
350 tip
300 plane fair
300 license
200 to ship meat
500 for taxidermist maybe even 600
200 for misalanious bull !@#$
--------
5350.00

I am amazed at what people will pay to kill a animal. Hunting is going in a direction that I dont care to be a part off:( I'll put my trophys on the wall the old fasion way. I'll just let the rich folks buy there wall;)

RE: Tipping your guide
 

Mr. Long I dont see anything wrong with what you came up with. Most people that have never taken a hunt outside of their own state see a hunt "cost" and think that is the bottom line. Its typically only half or not even that much of the total expense. Yep $5k is the hunt and thats ALL. It doesnt involve airfare, rental car (unless you are in a remote, pack in type hunt I strongly recommend getting your own wheels for a hunt) meat processing fees, taxidermy and shipping and yes TIPPING. Like I said, most hunt "costs/fees" end up typically being only 1/3-1/2 of the bottom line net cost of a hunt.

Thats something for ALL to consider before thinking, "Hey if I save up $10k for that Yukon mixed bag hunt, I'm IN like flint". Only to become broken hearted when they forgot to add XYX dollars for airfare, taxidermy fees, shipping and handling of trophies (FedEx/UPS doesnt work for charity!) rental car (again if applicable) and PROPER and REASONABLE tips. By the time its all said and done such a trip will usually run you in the $15k+ range.

But I honestly dont see the gripe. Expecting a "$5k hunt to strictly cost $5k" is un-realistic and very un-reasonable if you ask me. I suppose by some here's logic, they can go look at a FX4 CrewCab XLT Ford and cuss everyone out because it doesnt cost the same as the base model 2x4 6cyl 150 sitting beside it?

Hey I wish EVERYONE the luck, success and chance to pursue the trophies of their dreams at least once in their lifetimes. But if they are gonna moan and complain about the price and feel that they should get "the whole enchilada" just because they paid a hunt fee, thats just not right if you ask me. The whole idea of "hunt fee" is just that. Its payment for just what it implies... "the hunt itself". NOT for taking care of those who helped/fed you, got you there, picked you up at the airport, caped and cared for your trophy, etc...

Be reasonable,
RA

RE: Tipping your guide
 

hear a lot in these posts about 10--15--20-percent--but have yet heard of what----percentage of hunt-1x1-2x1--if you are going to give someone an answer, give it so they can understand or at least decipher what you are talking about. in plain words give them the hard facts, rather than beat around the bush and try and convince people that you are extra smart--well you are not, this just shows your intellegent factor.

RE: Tipping your guide
 

[quote]ORIGINAL: Mr. Longbeard
Welp after reading all the responces to this post I will not be going on this hunt:(
Mr. Longbeard I can see the way you are looking at it. Let's look at in another.
I want to hunt Mulies in CO. First I need to find a place to go and scout my area. I must get there(Plane,Train or Auto)$$ Of course I will need to take off work$$ Ok now I have found my place to hunt. You have now spent a bunch of $$ and you hunt hasn't even started.
Next I need to get back home and plan my hunt. Again I will have to make time from work.$$I will again have to travel$$ I now need to set up some sort of camp,Cooking Utensils,Coolers,Tent ,Sleeping Bag and a bunch more.$$ Doing this unassisted is going to take alot of time as well as more time off of work$$ and your relying on your experiance? in everything for this hunt. This and alot more will cost much more$$than it would if you hired an outfitter who has taken care of everything for you and given you one price along with his/her professional attention from A to Z.
If it were me I would think about what it would cost had I had to do it on my own. All I can come up with is alot more time and $$than an outfitter would cost.
A tip you betcha...If it was a good experiance...As my common sense say's these people did a whole bunch of work that I didn't have to do and saved me some$$$$

RE: Tipping your guide
 

I have always owned or done construction but during the years we also ventured into the sporting goods and guide business (out of it now- thank you). Everyone in that business knows what it is like BEFORE you start.. Guides know what they are doing it's there job. A tip is just a thank you its NOT REQUIRED. Do they tip you at work? probably not...it's NOT REQUIRED
Tipping guides large sums is something I am not in favor of. Giving a hunting guide $100 to $150 for a week is MAX. It's NOT REQUIRED..if that person took the job based on tipping he needs to find a new profession.
We build custom homes and additions that take 6 months...talk about a LONG butt kissing time --> not just a week here fellas...we don't get a tip don't expect one NOT REQUIRED

Just a question for you RedAllison NOT PICKING AT YOU I PROMISE----> when you buy a vehicle and spend lets say 60K on a Escalade EXT like I did do you tip the salesperson 6K? They educated you about the car, answered all the questions, let you test drive it...so why not tip them? Whats good for one should be good for all ?

RE: Tipping your guide
 

i cant but help feel like the help should be the number one priority of the owner of the outfitter service and not the clients burden. you go on the trips to hunt or fish and have fun and not have to stress and worry about tipping. if an outfitter feels its a must like with a cruise ship they should just put a side note in the contract as to a tipping guide. i tip on my trips but the variables are too many. i wouldnt worry about getting a bad rep for not being a big tipper thats just stupid.i look at it this way . if an outfitter charges 4500$ for a hunt they can certainly afford to give there cooks and guides appropriate pay. the biggest problem i see with booking hunting trips is that all the money is usually due way before the hunt begins. when you pull into camp i see there is not as much eagerness becausae that money is long gone so now the client has to reach into the pockets to perk up the atmosphere again. my bottom line is no more than you can afford. TIP STANDS FOR ----TO INSURE PROMT SERVICE. the service at these hunt prices should be there from the start. a tip should be a deserved part of the service not always mandatory[:'(]

RE: Tipping your guide
 

LiquidO
Well said! Your right there always seem to be that hanging over your head during the week...how much should I tip?
Check this out..do the math >>> I hunted in Alberta in the early 90's and they where getting $3200 per person x 8 men x 3 weeks Thats $76,800 for 3 weeks!
NOT including his bear hunts (always booked)
Moose hunts (always booked)
Not exactly sure but I think we figured something like 240K gross for his hunting seasons in the early 90's! - less then 3 months of actual work time not bad...He paid a indian woman to cook for everyone..sure he paid her well (haha)
Your right outfitters should take care of his guides..they can make him or break him...pay them well your making it.
Maybe they need a UNION?

RE: Tipping your guide
 

No wonder your homeowners question everything you do, sounds like you're a cheap sucker who that wants to screw others if possible. Waitresses at restaurant pool their money because of people like you. Maybe they shouldn't, in hopes that one day you might leave them a dollar. I'm sure (because of your generosity) you go to different establishments--if not--perhaps you should think about---b/c I know the girls I dated in college that were servers were vindictive about those things---spitting and all--get it.

guides and servers are in kind of the same boat when it comes to tips---they don't get paid a lot--but have a chance to up their earnings based on their job performance (with normal customers). Anyway, keep up the good work, you must be a ray of sunshine in the lives of those around you-----:D

hb

RE: Tipping your guide
 

ROFLMAO @ hillbillyhunter, I see I'm not the only person who thought that exact same sentiment. Truth be known, the ENTIRE country should have to work for about half their usual income and then be dependent upon tips to make up the difference. Some attitudes would change, those more deserving and hardworking might make closer too what they are worth and the rest "the free riders" would end up on skid row.

I don't know of to many guides that are paid very well (from their simple daily income by the outfitter they work for). Most are paid $50-$100 a day and depend on tips for making the job worth it for them. I know I would NOT bust my azz for some un-appreciative slob to make me do all the work and then in the end stiff me for the sweat and worn bootleather.

Like I said, when you deal with quality/first rate outfitters you will QUICKLY know whether you took care of business properly by the fact that you either did or did NOT get invited back or shown an special courtesy! ;)
RA

RE: Tipping your guide
 

Comparing it to a waiter/waitress is not fair, the wages these folks get is legally below minimum wage because of the tips.

Speaking about the millions the outfitter is making, sure it looks like a lot when you do the math, 4k/person * 8 people/week * 12 weeks (estimated numbers) = $384,000.

What do you think all this COSTS him? He has to pay:

- guide fees (100-150/day/guide)
- feed you and the guides
- gas for trucks/atv etc
- food for horses/mules
- vet bills
- taxes
- license fees/tresspass fees etc.
- equipment repair/replacement on trucks/atv/horses
- insurance on his business and guides

Now add in that he only makes money for those couple of months, he has to make enough money to carry over to the next years hunting season.

I am sure outfitters do ok, I doubt they get rich.

As for guides, say you are great, you get $200/day, 7 day hunts, say 3months worth, that's roughly $17K. Sure they can get an "off season" job, but how much do you think a job pays that you are not going to keep long term or at least need all of the fall off from?

Ain't none of them getting rich folks.

RE: Tipping your guide
 

I know its not quite the same. I was merely commenting on bigred's treatment of waitresses as well.


Also, you must remember that most guides get paid with 1099 income as opposed to a w-2--that means they have to pay out 15+% in fica taxes--which is additionally tough when making that amount of money. of course they also get to write off their expenses, but having those expenses hurts them worse then the deductions help.

RE: Tipping your guide
 

Like I said before...I do tip
But I just don't see why everyone feels so sorry for guides.
THEY PICKED THAT JOB.
THEY KNEW THE OPTIONS
Tip them or don't tip them...your choice BUT don't feel obligated!

RE: Tipping your guide
 

Hey Bob NH I did some quick numbers from what you posted


guide fees (100-150/day/guide) .....................21600
- feed you and the guides- ...............................15840
- gas for trucks/atv etc .....................................2880
- food for horses/mules ......................................9400
- vet bills ......................................5000
- taxes (we all pay these so removed them).........0
- license fees/tresspass fees etc. guess?...........25000
- equipment repair/replacement on trucks/atv/horses .......20000
- insurance on his business and guides[/quote] ......4000
I threw in a Cook .................................................. ......................7200

Total ....................110920
Buffer $$$ ..................20000
New total ..............130920

Lets see subtract 130920 from your $384000 ----->>>>> $253080
I would bet 80% of the people on this board don't make that.
Even if we made a 50 K error they are still making 200K

So who do we feel sorry for The outfitter?
The guide who should be getting more?
Or you and I who keep going back every year and over paying to begin with?[:@]

RE: Tipping your guide
 

ok guys i wasnt gonna reply cause like i said everyone has their opinions but i think there might be a misconception about what i wrote or sounded like, but i feel i must reply.

some of you (not mentioning any names) feel that i am a cheap sucker and "am a ray of sunshine" to be around. ok, well what i wrote might sound (to me) that i am a miserable old fart and that i hate my job and i refuse to tip, well, the first part is not true, i love my job, i like what i do, and besides if i wasnt a "ray" to be around and if i was trying to "screw" people out of money, why am i still in business after 25 years in the same city of 80K population?, word travels fast you know!! But i must be doing something right. last people i saw not being a ray to be around and screw you out of money have left this town and moved to another city to pursure their "fly by night" carrer. now having said that, i will tell you that i used to tip where ever i went but i have stopped that, you know why. i have read Outdoor's reply and like what he said that tips are nice but NOT REQUIRED, but for some reason in "some" occupations, tips seem to be EXPECTED. why is this?? we all work, i am assuming anyways, and we for the most part, all of our jobs are preforming some kind of "service" for a "customer", so i ask, just because we are all not guides, waiter/waitresess, or whoever else expects a tip, why is it that we do not get tips too? i dont get it. are we not waiting/helping/guiding/working for people? what about the person works at McDonalds taking your order, they are waitng on you, take your order, bring you food to you, but we dont give them a tip, well why not???? opps, i forgot, what about the person behind the counter at McD's that cooked your burger, better tip them too!!!! oh man, i guess should tip the truck driver that delivered the food to the fast food joint cause without them i couldnt be eating my fries and big mac right now. i could go on, but i think you get the picture, just something for you to think about. i also like what liquidorange says at the end of his reply and he quotes " a tip should be a deserved part of the service not always mandatory". Now, back to something else someone wrote about people get below minimum wage because the tips make up for it, well i dont know how it works in the states, but where i live you "must" make the minimum wage, and tips are on top of that. to me, who would want to take a cut in wage because tips will make up for it???? i think they are losing money in my perspective, but hey, what do i know. i may be reading or interpurting that reply wrong, but i think if you have current set minimum wage, i thnk it is leagally wrong to pay them less than that, allthough i could be wrong on that. as you all know i own a construction company, once in a while we do out of town work, now lets say i send my guys to do a job, and i as allways, give them the company visa to pay for whatever, one being i pay for their meals. myself, and i think i am not alone on this but when the final meal bill comes to the table, there is a spot on the visa reciept that asks "tip", would you not be a little upset paying for a tip to a meal that you didnt even eat? of course it is up to my workers to leave a tip from thier own pocket if they so choose too. now i dont know if they leave a tip or not, but lets jst say they didnt, should the server now on the next day they return "spit" in thier food because thay didnt leave a tip?? i dont know maybe i am getting off subject now but as you can see there are a million of different factors out there on or about tipping.

in closing i would just like to say a couple of last remarks, first being to the one who thinks that i am not a ray to be around, i also see that apparently i do not treat waiter/waitresess nicely, well i must say that i do and i say my please and thank you's during my stay, and i am polite to everyone i deal with. On to another note, why say that using a waiter/waitress is not "fair" to compare to a guide??? last time i looked a JOB is a JOB is a JOB, but i might be wrong in that too cause a guide must be more of a JOB than a sever i guess, but to me they are JOBS!!!And lastly (for now anyways), like i have said before, i hope some people agree with me, and some will not, these are just our opinions, i just hope i shed a little "ray" to some of you that feel a "need" to tip only "some" people of "certain" occupations.

Thank You

RE: Tipping your guide
 

10-4

RE: Tipping your guide
 

Last time I went to Alberta, between all services, I tipped over $800.
Some still send me Chirstmas Cards!

RE: Tipping your guide
 

Hey.
I also wasn't going to post anything, but couldn't help it..

Why do we tip?, I don't know about you, but I tip someone that is doing for me something I am to damn lazy to do, or uncapable of doing.
Tip, don't tip.. who cares.. My guides will bust thier a$$es for you regardless.

I don't know where you get these figures from about how much an outfitter makes.. but I want to be that outfitter.
You must remember that most outfitters/guides do this job because they love to, not because they have to. My guides will take time off work to be out in the bush for a couple weeks to look after your needs. I pay them a $1000.00 for your 6 day hunt they prob lose money being there. figure this out and see if the math adds up to 200gs..
I am offering a bear hunt for $2400.
I have 8 hunters per week.. $19200 that is if camp fills up. no remove every expense you can think of, then remove more
max of 40 hunters, but typicaly 8 to 16 hunters
and a very limited season. In Alberta we Have NO ranch hunting for big game animals, so we have to hunt the particular seaon that the governmeent sets out.
There are some real big outfitters out there making the big money, but who wants to hunt with these guys ..
People will book with a real big guy because he has a big outfit, but what people don't realize is that alot of these big guys never make it to camp, they have a half a dozen or more camps going at one time. they hire guys to run them hoping that they will do right by them. But with the smaller guys like me, I have a zone that is vurtually unhunted by anyone but myself, loads of bears, I run the camp, I am there all week, if you have an issue with something, I am there to resolve it. We run a very personal camp, fun and light hearted. everyone gets there hands dirty, including, and Especially me.
Slamfire was dead on when he said give them something, guys really appreciate it when you tip them with equipment. I had a fellow give me a chronograph that attaches to the end of my bow.. works real good.
Most people don't tip the outfitter, because he is the one making the huge money(apparently)... but do consider tipping the guides, it gets harder and harder to find good guides when they get stiffed by hunters over and over again. I have had guys request a guide, but guides refused them because of the no tip issue.

I could alway charge the hunter more, and pay the guides better..lol

I promise though.. if you don't tip, they won't spit on your bear...