Having just completed my 34th year of guiding let me give you a few answers that immediately pop into my head: A guide will spend 24 hours per day with you for a week or more, cooking your breakfast, cleaning the dishes, answering all your questions, leading you across streams, up hills and through brush while carrying your lunch and extra gear for you, sitting and looking for game while you take naps or read a book, fix your lunch, pick up the trash you threw down, find game for you, judge it so you don't shoot the first young one you see, show you how to stalk it, watching the end of your barrel because he has seen way to many unintentional discharges, make sure you are shooting at the correct animal, track it and even finish killing it if necessary, share in your excitement, skin and clean it, carry it back to camp on top of your extra gear that it now too heavy for you to carry all the way back, loaning you his dry clothing because yours is wet, pulling off you boots,fix your supper, cleaning the dishes again, answer more questions, do the dishes again, prepare hide for taxidermist, go outside in the dark and rain to make sure the hide is staying dry -- all the while keeping a positive outlook and a smile. FOR A LOT LESS THAN MINIMUM WAGE
That's a good explanation, but my question remains, "Why?"
Guides sell a product that includes all you described above and maybe more for a stated price.
What is it about guiding that makes us feel compelled or obligated to pay more in the form of a tip?
A Hospice nurse does pretty much all you describe and much, much more for much longer periods of time in most cases. Why don't we tip Hospice nurses?
