I have read a few other posts in the African Forum and Big Game Forum on Tipping, while I don't want to get into "What to Tip" for money or gear, I want to address "How to Tip"

I am a fly fishing guide in the summers and for the last 4 years I have had all sorts of tips in monetary value or gear and also a wide range of having it handed to me. I have also hunted in the US, Canada and Africa and found out some ways that worked and some that didn't to tip. There are different dispersal methods of money to the guide (if you are going to give him a tip but here is my opinion on a couple of different methods.

Option A ~ The Handshake

So its the end of the hunt/fishing trip and you just spent one week or one day with your guide. The last thing you do is shake there hand. In your hand is say a fifty dollar bill. Will the guide know you are passsing him a tip this way? Isn't it akward for now almost good friends to have money seperate them in the final handshake? I have dropped the tip before and made it akward.

I hate this method of tip giving.

Option B ~ The Give

Same thing that has happened above, but now its just a handshake, and the Person says "Thanks for a great trip" and hands you a folded up bill or two. I prefer this way 1000 times over the "Handshake" method, things aren't as akward, you can put the money in your pocket quick with your other hand and go on your way to count it later, plus there isn't as much akwardness to it.

Option C ~ The envelope

By far I think this is the best way to give a tip especially if you are going on a semi-guided hunt with a few guys/girls that will pool there money and give the tip to individual cooks/guides/drivers.

I am not saying this just works for a semi-guided hunt. I think you should use this for ALL Hunting and fishing trips. Have an envelope for EACG guide, cook or tracker or only one guide for a fishing trip say, and put the money in the envelope.
You do the handshake/goodbyes and you pass across and envelope. Whether it has a $20 bill in it or $2Grand, the guide won't really be able to tell. Plus the excitement of opening the envelope and seeing what you got for a tip is great fun. It's kinda like Christmas actually. There is no akwardness to an envelope since its an envelope. When I go on a longer hunt, I write a few things that I appreciated and tell them that I had a great time. I have also put a few suggestions on some letters also, not anything mean, but an improvement that might work.

Before I was a guide, I did a few guided fishing trips. The guides liked the envelope idea, and the next year when I fished with them, an improvement I suggested was being implented and made the trip go more smoothly.

This is just my .02, but I have found guiding to be a lot of work. I have had some aggravating clients but have also made some life long friends from the deal. I have found that tipping is one of the hardest things for clients to figure out.

If you have found a different way to tip that works, I would love to hear it. I am just dreading another of those "akward" moments so thought this might help some people out.

I like option B. That is what I use but I like to tip each person involved personally. I do not like to give the tip to one person and let them dole it to the others based on how they want. I give each person what I think they deserve myself and that gives the chance to thank each person. And when you get to how much, I base it on what I can afford first. Then it goes to how good the hunt was and how much effort they put into it.

Ill go with option x or the DB Cooper method. Thats where as you do a flyby when leaving the concession you throw the tip money out the window of the cessna 206.

Some of these cheapskates use another method.

They wrap three dollars around their middle finger and proffer that to their PH.

Two for him and one for the staff.

Sorry, but these tipping threads so often turn into a long list of lame excuses for being a cheap bastard that I couldn't resist.

BTW, Option C is correct. Just be sure to get the contents right, since it is every gentleman's duty to do so.

sierrabravo45 thanks for the post

Thanks for the advice. I always struggle with this, though I think I have always been generous in this regard.

I give it by the "hand shake" method and completelty openly. Everyone knows what is happening and gifts are being given. As it is completely complementary there is no need to wonder what "Mr Jones" has given unless you worry about that sort of thing.

People that try to hide the fact they are giving a gift are strange. The envelope method seems insecure to me, unless you are handing over a "wad" to the "boss-boy" (either white or black BTW). In that case I would hand the "wad" over NOT in an envelope so everyone has an idea what they should be receiving IF it is shared around.

Thanks for the post. Nice to hear from someone on the receiving end how they like to receive the tips. The envelop with a short note makes perfect sense to me. I have added a handful of envelops to my packing list for September. Thanks.

quote:

Originally posted by mrlexma:
Some of these cheapskates use another method.

They wrap three dollars around their middle finger and proffer that to their PH.

Two for him and one for the staff.

Sorry, but these tipping threads so often turn into a long list of lame excuses for being a cheap bastard that I couldn't resist.

BTW, Option C is correct. Just be sure to get the contents right, since it is every gentleman's duty to do so.

Was there really any merit in your post other than to turn this thread into what you claim to detest?
If I CHOOSE to leave a tip I determine what I will give based on criteria I deem revelent to the memories I take from a trip. Be that a $20 USD passed after the handshake or $2000 USD given over while enjoying the last sundowner by fireside.Either way I look the man straight in the eyes and hope that we have parted friends.

Thanks sb45,

It's nice to have some input from the other side. I leave for my Kamchatka bear hunt on the 27th and have made myself a note to take a few envelopes.

Thanks,

BOWHUNR