Tipping a guide ?

[Sccritterkiller]

Did you read my post? Incentives/awards come in the form of gift cards......its actually quite nice. Walmart, Amazon, Visa cards (as good as cash), Shell gas cards.......

If they are so nice use them yourself...tip your guide in cash.

 

[bozeman]

I use them all the time, as stated, just wandering.

 

[WCB]

I might be an odd ball here but $500 visa gift card to me would be the same as cash for the most part. The Amazon or Walmart ones would force me to use those means and I'm not a fan of it. But the Visa I can use for gas. Now if became the main way guys tip then it would get annoying but the odd guy giving me a Visa gift card wouldn't be a big deal as long as they use the same standard of tipping.

Just please no Starbucks or other coffee joints...my wife is a teacher and gets 100s yes...100s of dollars of coffee gift cards a year.

 

[Boarmaster]

Cash.

 

[traildust]

Been on 3 guided hunts. 10-15% of the total cost of the hunt for the guide, $100-200- for the cook and a benjamin for the camp-jack

Thats why I dyi now......was breaking me!

Always cash!

 

[j_volt]

I have only gone on one outfitted hunt and tipped 10% to the guide, $100 to the wrangler, and $100 to the cook. I completely hate the idea of it… the hunt is so expensive to start. However, I’ll conform to these social norms.

 

[Roofer1]

Just got back from Kodiak a couple of weeks ago. Straight up asked my guide about expectations and he gave me a fairly straight answer. I was a bit naive, so I only brought so much cash. Packer got a little over a grand and what I had left went to the guide, which was about 10% of the hunt cost. He was grateful. That said, he was awesome and worked his ass off and I feel like it wasn't enough. Gonna hunt with him again in the future and make up for it.

 

[Clockwork]

Honest question, just thought about this: feedback on receiving gift cards as a tip? Something like $500 WalMart gift card, $250 Amazon gift card; $250 Visa gift card? etc.....

L.B.

I personally don’t like store gift cards because I wouldn’t want to limit them to a single store and it seems “cheap” to do that. But a 250$ visa gift card plus cash I feel would be acceptable.

 

[crossfox21]

My buddy who is a rafting outfitter has seen tips as high as $4000 clear down to none at all. Granted some folks can show their appreciation alot better than others. It seems like a 15% bench mark would be acceptable?

 

[GringoBling]

The practice of a 20% gratuity to a waiter makes sense because the waiters make less than minimum wage and relies exclusively on tips to make an income. A hunting or fishing guide should be paid an appropriate market rate by the outfitter or landowner. I strongly feel that 20% is way too much when you start talking about hunting and fishing trips that cost thousands of dollars. It's not the hunter's responsibility to overly subsidize the guide.

 

[Augie]

The practice of a 20% gratuity to a waiter makes sense because the waiters make less than minimum wage and relies exclusively on tips to make an income. A hunting or fishing guide should be paid an appropriate market rate by the outfitter or landowner. I strongly feel that 20% is way too much when you start talking about hunting and fishing trips that cost thousands of dollars. It's not the hunter's responsibility to overly subsidize the guide.

If you think the customary 10%-20% tip is too much, why doesn't the individual just go on hunts/fishing trips that don't require a guide? Don't have to tip anything on a DIY hunt/fishing trip.

 

[j_volt]

If you think the customary 10%-20% tip is too much, why doesn't the individual just go on hunts/fishing trips that don't require a guide? Don't have to tip anything on a DIY hunt/fishing trip.

People want what an outfitter offers, typically resulting in higher success rates and comfort.

A business states a price for a service. You pay the price for the service. Then, you’re supposed to throw in an additional $500 to $2000 as a “thanks for doing what I already paid you to do”. Tipping is such a strange concept.

Also, people always talk about a percentage. Why does the cost of the hunt have anything to do with the amount of work the guide does? Similar to tipping 15% of a $15 dinner versus 15% of a $150 dinner. The length of the trip seems much more important relative to determining an amount to tip.

 

[YellCoAR]

Funny you say that Augie.
I do DYI for that very reason. Tips just make me upset. Heck I have a commission job which requires a State license. I pay all the business operating expenses and only make from 10 to 15%. My sales come no where close to guided hunts now a days. A true wilderness guide is one that I would consider paying that amount, but on a lot of private land hunts no way they deserve up to 20%. Heck I see tip jars at fast food counters. I found out people tip at hotels. Sorry just to many people wanting something extra for doing their job.

 

[Augie]

People want what an outfitter offers, typically resulting in higher success rates and comfort.

A business states a price for a service. You pay the price for the service. Then, you’re supposed to throw in an additional $500 to $2000 as a “thanks for doing what I already paid you to do”. Tipping is such a strange concept.

Also, people always talk about a percentage. Why does the cost of the hunt have anything to do with the amount of work the guide does? Similar to tipping 15% of a $15 dinner versus 15% of a $150 dinner. The length of the trip seems much more important relative to determining an amount to tip.

Well if you want what the outfitter offers (higher success rates and more comfort) then you'll just have to pony up and throw in the industry norm of a tip. If you don't want to tip that's fine too, but in that case go unguided in a place that allows you to hunt DIY. If you have no firm knowledge of the animal you are perusing or the terrain in which you are hunting you are paying for their expertise to put you on animals. Most outfitter websites I have seen specifically mention the hunt cost does not include tip and commonly recommend what the tip should be which is 10% of the overall hunt cost. Guides are commonly not the outfitter, the guides themselves are not making big bucks considering it's pretty seasonal work.

 

[j_volt]

Well if you want what the outfitter offers (higher success rates and more comfort) then you'll just have to pony up and throw in the industry norm of a tip. If you don't want to tip that's fine too, but in that case go unguided in a place that allows you to hunt DIY. If you have no firm knowledge of the animal you are perusing or the terrain in which you are hunting you are paying for their expertise to put you on animals. Most outfitter websites I have seen specifically mention the hunt cost does not include tip and commonly recommend what the tip should be which is 10% of the overall hunt cost. Guides are commonly not the outfitter, the guides themselves are not making big bucks considering it's pretty seasonal work.

Or just don’t tip? Unguided or guided + a 20% tip aren’t the only two options.

 

[Augie]

Funny you say that Augie.
I do DYI for that very reason. Tips just make me upset. Heck I have a commission job which requires a State license. I pay all the business operating expenses and only make from 10 to 15%. My sales come no where close to guided hunts now a days. A true wilderness guide is one that I would consider paying that amount, but on a lot of private land hunts no way they deserve up to 20%. Heck I see tip jars at fast food counters. I found out people tip at hotels. Sorry just to many people wanting something extra for doing their job.

Right, no one enjoys tipping especially on something that already has a high cost associated with it. The way to alleviate that cost all together is to do hunts DIY, but you'll pay in time, effort, etc. in order to have a significantly lower success rate. I myself do DIY hunts to keep my monetary cost as low as possible, but if I go on a true wilderness hunt somewhere unknown to me in a place that requires me to have a guide then I'm going to make sure I have enough saved up to tip at least 10% of the hunt cost to the guide. I just consider it a built in cost factor.

 

[Laramie]

Or just don’t tip? Unguided or guided + a 20% tip aren’t the only two options.

As a former guide I completely agree. The concept of guys showing up with Visa gift cards in a pre-determined amount is annoying honestly. Tip based on the service you receive. If a guide stinks, by all means stiff them. No reason to encourage them to remain in an industry they don't belong. On the other hand, If a guide works his tail off for you, and does a good job, tip them well!

 

[Augie]

Or just don’t tip? Unguided or guided + a 20% tip aren’t the only two options.

No one is holding your feet to the fire for a 20% tip on a guided hunt. There is a general range of 10%-20% which is considered the norm. But to stiff a guide that does a great job because you don’t believe in tipping is just a scumbag move, and I wouldn’t foresee that outfitter booking you ever again.

 

[WCB]

As a former guide I completely agree. The concept of guys showing up with Visa gift cards in a pre-determined amount is annoying honestly. Tip based on the service you receive. If a guide stinks, by all means stiff them. No reason to encourage them to remain in an industry they don't belong. On the other hand, If a guide works his tail off for you, and does a good job, tip them well!

But...But your supposed to work your tail off for everyone. THAT'S YOUR JOB!....GUIDE TRASH! Even if the guy is a return client and stiffed you on a tip the year before.

Being a former guide myself and going on guided hunts I don't get how cheap guys are. AND most of them are the guys that sit around camp and talk about how much money they have.

 

[Augie]

As a former guide I completely agree. The concept of guys showing up with Visa gift cards in a pre-determined amount is annoying honestly. Tip based on the service you receive. If a guide stinks, by all means stiff them. No reason to encourage them to remain in an industry they don't belong. On the other hand, If a guide works his tail off for you, and does a good job, tip them well!

I said this when this thread started. Tip a guy his worth if he works his tail off for you. If your experience with a guide is terrible from the start ask the outfitter if you can get a different guide if possible. If you can’t and the experience continues to go downhill then by all means stiff an incompetent guide. But to stiff a guide for no reason other than you don’t like to tip is just silly.