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Question: I'm going on an elk hunt in MT later this month. This is a guided hunt in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area. Part of the fee already paid to the outfitter includes one guide per two hunters. Assuming I am pleased with the guide's performance, whether I shoot an elk or not, what would be a reasonable tip? The hunt will be for six full days in the woods, hunting out of a base camp on horseback. Thanks in advance for any advice, Bill. | ||
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I hunted the Bob a few times back in the 1990's. It's tough country. Any guide who works there is probably going to be working hard for you. Chances are, in addition to your guide, you'll also have a cook and packer working taking care of you. Personally, for wilderness hunt like that, I typically tip 20% of the cost of the trip spread between my guide and the camp staff with the bulk of it going to the guide. That's for good service, regardless of outcome. I may tip more for above average service or results. That's just what I do. In the end, tipping is up to you. Pete | |||
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20% or more. Provided the service is good. Success really shouldn't matter as long as he's trying to get you good trophies. Guides work long hours and the pay is pretty low. velocity is like a new car, always losing value. BC is like diamonds, holding value forever. | |||
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On pack-in, horseback elk hunts I've guided in Wyoming, my tips averaged $400. "There are worse memorials to a life well-lived than a pair of elephant tusks." Robert Ruark | |||
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The main rules of tipping in my book are: A) Tip what you can afford B) Just kinda look inside yourself and you will no what is right Mike Legistine actu? Quid 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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Well to me that would depend on a lot of factors, such as, how good the accomdations provided were, how good the areas you hunt are--related to how prepared the guide is, what the attitude of the guide (and others if any) was, how good the chow was and lot's of other stuff for sure. Did the guide fee include him obtaining your tags, was there ground work done by him for you to facilitate the hunt other than you just showing up, like transportation from an airport or what not--what the transportation is like, what the cost of the hunt was all in....lots of variables to me. I've tipped over 20% and ZERO. If it's a good experience, I try to be as generous as I can, and as Talentrec, I spread that around with the cooks and others as well if there are such, witht the bulk going to the guide. Good luck on your hunt! | |||
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I've begun to tip $100 a day. | |||
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I've used the $100/day also. Good for the guide alone. A good cook is $50/day for me. Bob DRSS DSC SCI NRA & ISRA | |||
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I always wait until they fall asleep, then I sneek up behind them and push them over. **************** NRA Life Benefactor Member | |||
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I'm kind of with Mike. Hard to say what is right for someone else. If there was a gun to my head right now and I had to tell you what I would tip a guide for a nice experience on a 5 day, 2x1 elk hunt, I would say $500. Don't forget your wrangler and cook if they are part of the team. | |||
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While I agree that tip should have nothing to do with the "success" of taking an animal, I have to disagree with the 20% number....especially on a 2x1 hunt. Imagine a $5000 elk hunt that is 2x1 and where both guys live by the 20% rule. The guide would be earning $2000 in tips for the week. By the time you factor in operating costs and fixed capital, the outfitter himself is almost assuredly not making that. My guess is that most guides would be dancing a jig to get a $500 tip from each guy on that hunt and $350 from each guy would leave the same guide plenty satisfied. | |||
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Do ya'll use the same criteria where the guide and outfitter are the same person? | |||
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Do ya'll use the same criteria where the guide and outfitter are the same person? No, I don't tip the owner/outfitter. Bob DRSS DSC SCI NRA & ISRA | |||
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I also do not tip the outfitter when he/she serves as the guide. I would and have however, given nice tokens of appreciation to the outfitter when he guides me personally. A nice bottle of scotch or some hunting gear works in this case. | |||
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This is always a tough one but if a client holds my feet to the fire I would say $50-$100 a day depending on how well everything went. I personally think a tip should not depend on animals killed. If it is apparent that the game is there and the guide is making a good effort to help you get the game I think a nice tip is appopriate. I see no reason to not tip the owner if he does your hunt. You are tipping for level of service so what difference does it make if the owner does your hunt or a regular guide? Some outfitters do not accept tips but if they do I think they should get one. I'm hunting lion with a safari company owner in '12. I fully intend to give him a nice tip if everything goes as expected. Mark MARK H. YOUNG MARK'S EXCLUSIVE ADVENTURES 7094 Oakleigh Dr. Las Vegas, NV 89110 Office 702-848-1693 Cell, Whats App, Signal 307-250-1156 PREFERRED E-mail markttc@msn.com Website: myexclusiveadventures.com Skype: markhyhunter Check us out on https://www.facebook.com/pages...ures/627027353990716 | |||
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Yes I still tip them if they are the outfitter /owner. If they are doing the job, they deserve tip IMHO. | |||
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Having just returned from a hunt in the Yukon, here is a new twist: Twice now I have been the only guy in camp on the last hunt of the season and I have been assigned two guides. So now what do you tip? On the first hunt was I wasn't too happy so I tipped each one $300. The next time I hunted with this outfit I shot a huge bull on the first day and tipped way better. This past hunt I tipped each guide $800; they worked reasonably hard (but we certainly weren't out before dawn although a few times back after dark). More importantly, we saw bull moose every day we hunted and the guides each knew how to run this hunt. But I cannot see tipping the cook a huge amount. I tipped the cook $150. We were in a spike camp for three nights out of nine nights, and one of the guides did the dishes every night when we were in the main camp (which was pretty rustic). I remembered this post when it came time to settle the bill. I told the owner of the outfit that I am never going to tip the cook $50/day - hell, for that much I can buy a pretty nice meal in a pretty nice restaurant. One other thing: I heard Shockey expects clients to tip their guide 15% of the total hunt cost. At the rates he is charging, I would never book a hunt - that would be a tip of nearly 3K! Comments? | |||
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