Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Tipping,

Here’s my take, if I’m forced to hunt with an outfitter I’ll usually tip. But everyone knows that outfitters are crooks and what’s wrong with hunting, just corporate type greed making money off of wildlife that we all own, even if I live across the country. I usually book with the cheapest outfitter I can find because he doesn’t over pay his guides. I make it known upfront that I believe all guides are lazy crooks and I’m getting robbed but I expect a world class hunt. I never tip more than 5% than the hunt price . And that’s where it starts and goes down from there, same as at a restaurant. I mean come on, how hard is it to fill my water and bring my food or find a 400” bull or 200” deer? And let’s face it, we all can out hike, out glass and overallout hunt these phonies. Like I said it starts there and goes down. I expect quite a bit out of my guide. Here’s just some of my criteria
Pickup older than 3 years old-deduction
Not a full size pickup with the biggest cab-deduction
Full time guide- deduction. He should do it for the love of the game not money and should question his life choices
Part time guide-deduction, his heart’s not in it and probably makes enough money at his regular job.
Doesn’t have alpha glass-deduction he’s an amateur.
If he has the latest Gen of Alpha glass-deduction, again makes too much money.
Mis-matched camo deduction. Two different patterns probably cost me an animal
If he doesn’t answer every question immediately about all wildlife related subjects or know the scientific name of every plant-deduction.
If he doesn’t carry my water or pack or toilet paper or bags to and from lodge-deduction
If he gets lucky and out walks me-deduction
I’m in it for the experience, the experience of killing a trophy preferably on the first day because a good guide would have been scouting for weeks on his own dime and have a client an animal already picked out. If not-deduction.
If the guide doesn’t set me up perfectly, arrange my rest or provide shooting sticks to make my shot as easy as it be-deduction.
If he gets irritated at me questioning all of his plans, stalks, trophy assessment or my sighs of disapproval-BIG deduction! This is my hunt and we should do what and how I want!
I don’t always tip money. Sometimes I like to tip Chinese made knives especially if has a custom. I expect swag from the outfitter, caps jackets and other stuff with his logo. I like to tip with caps from my business so I can get free advertising. If there’s a piece of equipment that I brought and used but don’t like or it fails I usually give it to the guide. It’s the thought that counts.
That’s just a small look into how I do it.
YMMV