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| One of Us |
I am getting ready to go deerstalking in Scotland again and wanted a little guidance on tipping. Tipping always seems awkward to me and I am not sure I am doing it right. On my last trip I had an envelope for each keeper with a note and some money and I gave it to them at the end. So I have a few specific questions. I will be on an estate with multiple keepers (3 that I know of) and last time I was there I had a different keeper each day. I will be there for five days this time. My Questions 1) Is it customary to tip each day or at the end of the trip? 2) What is to going rate to tip a deerstalker per day? 3) Is it bad taste to give them envelopes, is the cash handshake thing more preferred? I don’t know why but tipping has always made me uncomfortable. Any guidance you could provide would be appreciated. Thanks! | ||
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Hi Brad I normally tip £50 per day straight to the keeper/stalker I am hunting with. If your are hunting with a different stalker each day tip each individual at the end of each day. I am the same as you and would feel uncomfortable tipping them all together at the end of the hunt. An envelope is fine but I always do a cash handshake, it's more traditional and I do it all the time when driven Peasant/Partridge shooting. Fold up a few bills in your hand, shake his and he will put it straight in his pocket. Hope this helps a little Mike With kind regards Mike Mike Taylor Sporting Hunting, Fishing & Photographic Safaris Worldwide +44 7930 524 097 mtaylorsporting@gmail.com Instagram - miketaylorsporting | |||
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Well I think that just confirms what I have thought all along about the abhorrent practice of tipping, it is nothing but graft. Just be careful the stalker doesn't doesn't slip a little plastic bag of meth in your hand. That handover of cash method is no different than a drug deal. What a shameful practice. No wonder you all feel uncomfortable. Makes me pleased when our ancestors baled out of old England we didn't bring that crap with us. | |||
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Yep, pretty ridiculous I thought Europe is above tipping and 50 Euros a day? You kidding? " Until the day breaks and the nights shadows flee away " Big ivory for my pillow and 2.5% of Neanderthal DNA flowing thru my veins. When I'm ready to go, pack a bag of gunpowder up my ass and strike a fire to my pecker, until I squeal like a boar. Yours truly , Milan The Boarkiller - World according to Milan PS I have big boar on my floor...but it ain't dead, just scared to move... Man should be happy and in good humor until the day he dies... Only fools hope to live forever “ Hávamál” | |||
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Mike, Thanks for the feedback its really helpful, I think that I will tip at the end of each day this time. It seems to be much easier and avoids the awkward tracking down of everyone at the end of the trip. | |||
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If tipping makes you feel awkward then you probably are doing it wrong! Remember that a tip is a gratuity - given freely as a favour and not obligatory. In Europe (apparently unlike the US) it is never seen as an expected entitlement - Americans seem to have a problem with this. If you think you have been given good service then tip - if not then do not tip. How much is entirely up to you and your conscience. | |||
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Yeah, right......  You cannot tell me that every Euro Outfitter does not expect a tip. I would bet that there are surely outfitters there that do. And yes, I do have a problem with it (although I have always tipped on guided hunts). I would rather see a fixed price. Nothing hidden, no guess work. | |||
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What I find amazing is the sometimes bizarre high amounts of tips by Americans in Africa and yet on the other hand in Europe giving comparatively small tips seems to irritate people. | |||
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50 pounds a day is a very high tip in European hunting business IMO Morten The more I know, the less I wonder ! | |||
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Yes, agreed, 50 GBP is quite generous. | |||
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The whole idea of having to pay extra for a service you have already paid for is ridiculous. I got to the stage where if the service provided is not up to scratch, I even deduct the so called "service" charge hotels and restaurants seem to apply now. I write a not on teh bill to tell them why I am not paying. Those who do provide excellent service, I have no objection paying them extra, with pleasure. | |||
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eagle27, ask anyone from the UK who shoots driven game and they will all say the same thing. Tipping the gamekeeper with a cash handshake and a thank you very much for the day is normal. When I go stalking in Scotland it's normally only for a couple of days and with the same stalker. So if I feel I have had a great hunt I will give a tip at the end. £50 a day was a guide for Brad, but of course he can tip what he likes. I have tipped more than that and less. Mike With kind regards Mike Mike Taylor Sporting Hunting, Fishing & Photographic Safaris Worldwide +44 7930 524 097 mtaylorsporting@gmail.com Instagram - miketaylorsporting | |||
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An apt joke from the humor section, courtesy of xgrunt: The sheik and the Scot An Arab Sheikh was admitted to Hospital for heart surgery, but prior to the surgery, the doctors needed to have some of his blood type stored in case the need arose. As the gentleman had an extremely rare type of blood that couldn't be found locally, the call went out around the world. Finally a Scotsman was located who had the same rare blood type. After some coaxing, the Scot donated his blood for the Arab. After the surgery the Arab sent the Scotsman a new BMW, a diamond necklace for his wife, and$100,000 US dollars in appreciation for the blood donation. A few months later, the Arab had to undergo a corrective surgery procedure. Once again, his doctor telephoned the Scotsman who this time was more than happy to donate his blood. After the second surgery, the Arab sent the Scotsman a thank-you card and a box of Quality Street chocolates. The Scotsman was shocked that the Arab did not reciprocate his kind gesture as he had anticipated. He then phoned the Arab and asked him: "I thought you would be more generous than that - last time you sent me a BMW, diamonds and money, but this time you only sent me a lousy thank-you card and a crappy box of chocolates ?" To this the Arab replied: " Aye laddie, but I now have Scottish blood in me veins". xxxxxxxxxx When considering US based operations of guides/outfitters, check and see if they are NRA members. If not, why support someone who doesn't support us? Consider spending your money elsewhere. NEVER, EVER book a hunt with BLAIR WORLDWIDE HUNTING or JEFF BLAIR. I have come to understand that in hunting, the goal is not the goal but the process. | |||
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Mike I couldn't agree more. As an outfitter I never accept nor expect anything above what I have quoted for a hunt but a relative small tip to the keeper or guide is considered a simple courtesy for a job well done.(if it has been well done of course) If I have been invited to shoot then The keeper gets a double tip as a courtesy to my host. I am astounded at how many people I see that will spend a thousand pounds or more on a days shooting then try and slope away to save a fifty quid tip to the keeper. It is only bettered by a shooting celebrity friend of mine who was befriended by a hedge fund manager who ran a very prestigious shoot in Wales. After a couple of months of being invited to shoot (a total value of tens of thousands of pounds) we found him crying into his beer about how inconsiderate his host was at not realising the cost he was incurring for fuel in driving from London to North Wales every week to shoot for free!!! Needless to say he didn't get any sympathy from Dig or I. K | |||
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Guys, I spoke yesterday to an outfitters that hunts all of the UK and on the Continent also. A story came up that included tipping. Believe me there is no doubt that he expects his stalkers and guides to be tipped if everything went well. Of course he realizes a tip is not required but it certainly is customary. My stalker in Scotland was the same person throughout my hunt and a handshake at hunt's end with a few USD was obviously appreciated. 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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Not Scotland, but when I hunted in Austria. I gave a 10% of the Trophy Fee handshake. Thank you was all that was said or needed to be said. I did not feel pressure to do so, and nothing was stated up front; just thought it was right. I am sure I could have left and all the way to the plane the professional would have treated me no differently. That is why they are pros. | |||
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One should keep in mind also that in Scotland the stalker does a lot of work by himself instead of relying on trackers, skinners etc. Taking care of the animal in the larder etc. Often after stalking with the client they go foxing etc. So, yes a tip is very appropriate. | |||
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When I was there for deer stalking, I paid half of day stalk rate, they dont mind to take in cash (without envelop) and at the end of last stalk day. IH
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I did not mean to start any controversy. Just for the record I don’t mind tipping the stalker/keeper, I just want to make sure that I am doing it properly. When I am a guest in a country I try to know, and adhere to the local customs and traditions. I am a member of the SGA and have a good friend that is a retired Scottish keeper. I tried to get his advice and it is a bit problematic because he is really, really, old school. When I asked him what I should tip he responded “ Aye…Those fukn’g bastards doon’t neeD more than a 20” I think that he may be a little behind the times. Possibly he is pissed off at Mar Lodge for all the kulling they have been doing to protect the pine forests. I don’t know. Anyway I figured you guys would have a better feel for what is appropriate. I really appreciate all the advice, thank you. | |||
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Sir, I do not think you started a controversy. It was a good question. | |||
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IMO in all European hunting, a tip or gesture is important. I always give when I hunt somewhere. Sometimes a basic amount if the day/ trip has been mediocre or generously if I've had an exceptional trip. If I was hill stalking for stags and i had the same stalker for 3 days, and was lucky with 2-4 stags I'd give probably £150-250. | |||
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Thanks for the input guys! | |||
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The prices in Europe are all inclusive, no guesswork. I've never hunted in Europe but I have traveled there a lot (probably 50 times) the only time that I tip is in the tourist hotels/restaurants and then it's just a couple of Pounds or Euros to round up the bill to a 5 or 0. Frank "I don't know what there is about buffalo that frightens me so.....He looks like he hates you personally. He looks like you owe him money." - Robert Ruark, Horn of the Hunter, 1953 NRA Life, SAF Life, CRPA Life, DRSS lite | |||
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