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I have never been on a guided hunt in my life but am planning one for next year. What is a good tip for your guide? ________________________________________________ Maker of The Frankenstud Sling Keeper Proudly made in the USA Acepting all forms of payment | ||
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damn ted, tough question. All things being equal I start with a base of 10 percent and then it either works up towards 20 or down towards zero depending on performance-- NOT GAME-- but the hunt, the try, the expertise, the comraderie the food the everything that makes a guided hunt different than me and bubba went hunting and stayed at the Motel 6. Dan Donarski Hunter's Horn Adventures Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783 906-632-1947 www.huntershornadventures.com | |||
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Depends on your hunt, I tip the guide, the wrangler and the cook. If you have them. Remember, they all work for pretty low wages, the outfitter makes the money, he carries the insurance, pays for his license, pays for the outfit if he bought it, the stock, the food, the lease, it is a big dollar business and getting bigger. Most guides work seasonal work in the off season, such as construction, then they guide for 30, 60, or even 90 days. That is pretty much 7 days a week. So they sure don't get rich, they just like what they are doing. They find the game, get you close, judge it, after you shoot it, they skin, gut, quarter, and then most times cape your mount. It is your vacation, if they bust their butt for you, a tip is nice. Some guides only get $100 a day, and some or most days are 14 hours or longer. Even if I wasn't succesful and the guide tried hard, he still babysit me, answered all my questions pretaining to anything under the son, the flora, the fuana, the area, politics, horses, geography, history. You learn a lot from them, or you can just follow along and keep to yourself. I am there for the experience then the kill. On N.A. hunts I usually bring something to give to the guide, then I have offered at the end of the hunt to the guide, cash or a gift, such as once, I handed out three one hundred dollar bills or a new Cabelas Whitetail series coat, he took the coat! Bino's or cash, the guide took the bino's. THe cook and wrangler always cash! Ask your outfitter, some out fitters remcommend tips and tell you how much. But those guys are pretty confident of thier guides,and know just how good they really are, and they have super cooks in their camps! It is a judgement call, what's another $500 split among everyone, on a $4500 hunt! You never know, you may want to go back some day and they will remember, trust me! | |||
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Tipping is based on what you CAN do and YOUR budget. Many hunters save for YEARS just to go on a decent elk hunt or whatever. They simply do not have $100/day to tip. I know an outfitter that told their hunters that $20/day was reasonable for a baited bear hunt for the guide, and half that for the cook. I know another bear outfitter that sends out literature that was written by Jim Shockey, "How to get along with your Guide" and comments Many times that a minimum of 10% is common. (But you really get the sense that it is more of a demand). I met an older hunter in a camp in Canada that tips $100 for the entire hunt and he's RICH. He said that to him, a baited bear hunt is not like a spot and stalk, or running hounds, etc. and in his mind the work involved with baiting for bears wasn't hard, just busy. How long is the hunt? I've seen 3 day antelope hunts that sell for $3500 to $4000. Many hunters get their goat on day one. If you feel like a $400 tip is worth it, go for it. I'd tip a guide on a 17 day sheep hunt a helluva lot more than I would a guide on a baited bear hunt. I also spoke with a man who was a repeat hunter in 3 different provinces for bear. He hunted every year with each outfitter at least 10 or so years. I asked him about tipping. "I don't tip. For what I have to pay to hunt, the tip is included. These outfitters adjust their fees so that they are covering expenses, making profits, and keeping their hard working guides. They have a fee and I pay it. I expect the same hard work and active stands as any other paying client, tip or no tip." Whether you agree or not, the outfitters sure seemed to love having him in camp every year and the guy gets his bears. Tip what you can when you can. Ted Kennedy's car has killed more people than my guns | |||
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My tip varies on the hunt. Like others have said, depends on the difficulty of the hunt and the guides work ethic. I have tipped from $50.00 to $500.00. I have even tipped when no game was shot, it was because the effort the guide put into trying to get me the best animal and how hard he worked. If you're going to make a hole, make it a big one. ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ Member of the Delaware Destroyers Member Reeders Misfits NRA Life Member ENDOWMENT MEMBER NAHC Life Member DSA Life Member | |||
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Ted, I have been on five african safaris and about a dozen other guided hunts. Couple of rules. 1. Tip only what you can afford 2. Never feel "embarassed" by the size of your tip. 3. Ask yourself "Did they work hard to make my trip enjoyable?" If the answer is "yes", then just ask yourself if you were in their position what amount would make you feel like the person was giving you a heart felt thanks. I would say that anywhere between $100-$300 for a 3-7 day tip is about the right amount for your guide and between $50-$100 for the the cook. I have to throw the bullshit flag from the start with 10% rule. I think it has been perpetuated by the industry itself. A plains game hunt in Africa is $350/day or so and dangerous game hunt is now $700/day or so. Is the PH/Guide "working" twice as hard or providing you twice the service?. In my opinion, no. A 7 day caribou/black hunt in AK is about $4000 (I think these days) or roughly $550 a day. A 10 day moose hunt is $10,000 or so or roughly a $1000 a day. Is the PH/Guide "working" twice as hard or providing you twice the service?. In my opinion, no. I think the whole 10% issue has been generated and perpetuated by the industry itself. I remeber 35 years ago 10% was the rule of thumb for tipping in a restaurant, then it became 10%-15%, then it became 15%, it is now 15%-20%. I can tell you I was pretty irritated when I was settling up the bill on an African safari and the invoice had suggested tips at the bottom of the page. Including for the PH himself. Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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rule of thumb 10 to 20 percent, if you have a reasonable time to a good time.. if you have a bad time, and it's a multiday hunt, you should speak to the guide or outfitter and explain that you aren't having a great time, or that this or that, be specific, isn't what you expected. TALK ABOUT IT... we did a hunt last month, and we didn't see much game... BUT, the guide worked his tail off, trying to help us take our game... the animals were there, but had gone nocturnal and there was alot of browse and acorns available... we HUNTED and hunted hard... and tipped well!! opinions vary band of bubbas and STC hunting Club Information on Ammoguide about the416AR, 458AR, 470AR, 500AR What is an AR round? Case Drawings 416-458-470AR and 500AR. 476AR, http://www.weaponsmith.com | |||
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  Ted Kennedy's car has killed more people than my guns | |||
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The 10% rule is really a good one. I like even numbers. I also do not equate tips on success, I tip effort. Cookie gets $100. Guide gets even $3-500 on unsuccesful hunts, $500-1000+ on succesful ones. When I went to New Zealand, I gave my guide my Leica rangefinder binocs ($2400) for $25K worth of animals. There are two types of people in the world: those that get things done and those who make excuses. There are no others. | |||
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Doc, You would be surprised the number of times I have been in a camp and a fellow hunter pulled me aside and said in an embarrassed tone... "I am going to tip the guide $250, do you think its enough" You would also be surprised at the number of hunters who in a boastful voice at DSC or SCI describe how they tipped their guide a $1000. Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue. What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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I go along with the amount of effort put forth and the ability of the hunter to give a tip. If a hunter hands me a tip that I know he/she really can't afford, then I feel priveledged. I do the same job whether there is a tip involved or not. In fact, in my opinion, any guide/outfitter that is in business hoping to make a living off the tips, needs to get out of the business. My wife and I have been given tips by folks that could just barely afford the hunt, and received nothing from folks that could afford much more expensive hunt. As someone else stated, some hunters have a real problem with how much to give as a tip. If a guide is in the business because they enjoy the hunt and anything they get will be appreciated, just do the best you can. It should be based on the service given, and not on the success of the hunter. JMO. Even the rocks don't last forever. | |||
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I always confront myself with this dilemna. I went mule deer hunting in MT last year and shot a buck on the first day. I saw the buck at 0830 and stalked and chased until 1430 when I killed him. We got back to camp after packing and dragging at 2100. I went hunting at the same place this year. I shot my buck on the first day. I spotted the buck first at 1200 yds at about 1430hrs I shot him. We had him in the truck whole by 1515 hrs. We had hunted a bit in the a.m this year before going to breakfast. At breakfast break my guide had to answer some questions from the local authorities about a tresspass complaint, it cost us a couple hunting hunting hours. This year I hunted with another fella I met at camp, Last year I hunted alone with the guide. I tipped 1/2 this year of what I did last year. He worked his ass off last year. I am happy with the buck I got this year, but I didn't get the same kind of service as last. Windage and elevation, Mrs. Langdon, windage and elevation... | |||
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You guys are much more generous than I. I can't imagine tipping someone 20%! Are you kidding me, you guys really give your guides a grand on a 5K hunt? I'm not rich by any means, but I do well and it takes me a year of saving just to go on a descent hunt or two and I've always just tipped 5-7% I asked my Elk outfitter last year how much his hunters typically tip the guides, he told me 150-200 is plenty and he said some of the really rich guys give alittle more. I was guided two days on a Mulie hunt this year and gave the guy 150(2500 for the hunt) The same guide guided two other hunters within about 4 days and got 150-200 from each hunter. I went on a combo hunt last year and took both animals within 30min each day (extremely lucky). I cleaned them both bought the guy a couple meals and gave him $200. You guys are making me feel liek a cheapa$$. Heck, I hunt with guys that make alot more money than I and they tip the same as I do on most occasions. Good Luck Reloader | |||
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I have in the past tipped a new Leupold scope off my rifle on a hunt and another time my binoculars. The guide was more than pleased! The only easy day is yesterday! | |||
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I had a guide for an anterless elk hunt on an indian reservation his fee was $1000 for 4 days but we used his truck and I paid for his gas.During the hunt I fell injuring my back which limited my mobility quite a bit so when I shot an elk my guide wouldn't let me go back into the area to retrieve it, he said it was a very treacherous area & it was too risky for me.He went in quartered the elk and brought it out .He drove me to my RV and loaded the elk into my jeep so we could take it to be processed.I tipped my guide $600 for his help & the use of his 4x4 Ford truck. | |||
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