Tipping your hunting guide can be an important way of showing them your appreciation of their service and their efforts to ensure you had an enjoyable hunting trip experience. They deserve some acknowledgement for all they’ve done for you!
Tipping depends on the hunt; usually 10 percent of total cost should suffice. That can add up quickly!
It’s Not Required
Experienced hunting guides can make all the difference when it comes to successful hunts. They know where animals can be found and can advise you on selecting appropriate gear – even how best to fire a rifle or bow!
Tipping may seem mandatory to many hunters; however, that’s often not the case. Guides work tirelessly for their living, spending long hours providing services and maintaining equipment while trying to make ends meet; making it challenging for them to make an adequate day wage.
Tipping is an invaluable way to show our gratitude for their services, while showing our appreciation for helping to ensure a successful hunt experience.
Tipping your guide depends on several factors, including their level of service during your hunt and your desired amount for them to receive as a gratuity. In general, though, tipping should be voluntary.
Generalized rule for outdoor or backcountry guides’ tips is between 10%-20% of their tour cost per person; this may differ depending on who provides the service and what level of assistance is rendered, for instance when hunting guides guide groups through remote wilderness areas to create unforgettable hunter experiences for their clients. As an example, hunting guides who play an instrumental role in providing their hunters with great experiences must be properly recognized for their efforts by clients who pay them gratuity as a token of thanks for all they’ve done for them.
Hunters typically give their guides additional gifts of hunting gear such as knives or lights in addition to leaving money. Although these extra presents are appreciated, they may not justify the additional expense involved.
As Wayne noted, guides often work long hours, often more than eighteen per day. This can cause burnout for backcountry guides; nonetheless, most love their job and will do whatever possible to ensure that your hunt is enjoyable and successful.
It’s Optional
Tipping is not required but often used as a gesture of gratitude for those who make your hunt possible. Hunting is largely a service industry and guides, pilots, cooks, packers and skinners all depend on tips for their income; their hard work ensures you have a great hunt experience and the highest success rates possible.
Tiping requires several factors. The primary one should be how much time your guide invested in your hunt scouting an area; otherwise, tip less as their efforts might have fallen short in providing you with an ideal spot.
Another key consideration when it comes to hunting is your satisfaction with it. If you had an enjoyable trip and thought the guide did an exceptional job, tip them more generously than would normally be expected for an average hunt. Conversely, if your hunt left you feeling disgruntled or uncomfortable for any reason whatsoever, consider forgoing tips altogether and opt out.
If the guide had an excellent attitude, was responsive, or was great company, you should certainly tip them more than usual for their services. Conversely, if the guide were subpar or unethical in any way then you should omit tipping altogether.
Last but not least, take note of how hard your guide worked to bring you where you wanted to go and make the experience as pleasurable as possible. If they went to great efforts in scouting out an entire area just so they can bring you there safely, consider tipping them more generously than usual for such efforts.
Hunters should leave at least 10%-20% of the cost of their hunt as tips, including outfitter fees and tips given directly to your guide. If there is additional staff such as guide’s assistants or game cleaners at your outfitter, consider tipping them as well.
It’s A Reward
Tipping hunting guides and their support staff is a simple way to thank them for their service while providing a living wage while they’re out in the field.
Decisions on how much to tip your hunting guide can be difficult. They vary depending on factors like budget and the quality of service received from an outfitter.
Guides should typically receive 10 percent of their hunt fee as a tip, with 15-20 percent left for extraordinary service. It should be left at the end of a hunt to show gratitude and ensure they’re properly compensated.
Tip your hunt guide based on how many animals they bring back from hunting; this is a good way of showing that you appreciate their hard work, as well as encouraging them to continue doing so in future hunts.
As part of deciding your tip amount, it’s a good idea to take into account both the weather and species you harvested on your hunt. A successful hunt with great weather conditions and amazing animals should be given more generous tips than ones with poor shooting or uncooperative animals, or that resulted in poor decision-making skills on the part of either hunter.
Consider that most guides work for outfitters that cover most of their overhead expenses such as permits, insurance policies, food and gear; this could limit how much an outfitter can pay out each day in tips for guides.
10 percent tip is often a good place to begin and will usually cover most of an outfitter’s expenses. If unsure, consult with them prior to leaving on your hunt, or reach out to local guide associations for their advice and recommendations.
It’s A Token Of Appreciation
Your hunting guide is an integral member of your team, working hard to ensure a successful hunt. A tip is a way of acknowledging their hard work and commitment – it should show our gratitude.
As with most personal decisions, tipping your guide is ultimately up to you; however, as a general guideline it is customary to offer at least 10 percent of their fee as an appropriate gesture that shows that they understand that you value their work and meet high expectations.
Consider whether or not you plan to tip the chef and other staff that help make your trip possible, such as drivers and guides. Although they can be more costly than other service staff members, they will put in hard work for your benefit – be sure to tip in cash.
Some outfitters accept credit cards or other forms of payment; however, it is always best to give the money directly to the person who performed the service – this will show them your appreciation and encourage them to do more work in future.
Note that the quality of your service should also play an important role when setting the amount you tip. For instance, if the shoot failed due to poor shooting on your behalf or uncooperative animals or poor weather conditions, your tip shouldn’t reflect this fact.
If your hunting guide did an exceptional job of getting you on a fantastic animal or working hard on your behalf, they likely deserve more than a 10 percent tip as a show of thanks for all they did for you. Consider giving them something small as well to show how much their effort means to you!
Though most guides won’t accept tips, most are passionate about what they do and willing to go the extra mile for you. This passion means they work extremely hard at making sure everything runs smoothly for their guests.