I don’t understand the tipping culture in regards to guides

Owner/guide is different than a rich dude who employees guides.

I have no issue tipping a guide extra if I feel that they’ve busted their butt trying to put us on fish.

I have hunted and fished with a handful of guides. Enough to know that there have been a couple that I still talk to years later and a couple that I wouldn’t stop on the side of the road to help.

If you feel like you have received good service tip. If not, then you know the rest. There’s been a couple times I didn’t tip and will never feel the slightest bit bad about it.

I never heard of tipping a guide until someone asked what they should tip for an inshore trip. The guide sets the price, they own their boat, they know their costs. If they can't make money on X amount of money charge me X50. Don't expect a tip for an owner/operator guide service. Now I do understand tipping a good deck hand on an offshore trip, but the boat owner/operator needs to charge what he needs to for the trip.

Do you tip a waitress?

Box stand hunting isnt real hunting but if i get a fee trip from a vendor im gonna do it. I'm not gonna tip a guy for dropping me off at a box stand. If he built the box stand the day before and cleared a sendero specifically for me then yeah, I might tip. If it's a legit hunt or fishing trip and the guide has to employ some actual skill then yeah I'd be likely to tip.

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How exactly are they busting their butts taking you to the same spot they take everyone else?

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Wanna know how I know you’ve never been with a decent fishing guide?

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How exactly are they busting their butts taking you to the same spot they take everyone else? 

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If y'all are having a rough day(bad conditions for fishing), a shitty guide is going to take you to 3-4 different spots to try and grind out a morning. Then at 4 hours on the dot they are going to take you back and say "sorry guys, you picked a bad day to fish. Better luck next time." It's minimal effort from him, and he saves a bunch in gas money.

A guide who is busting his arse is going to bring you to as many spots as he can in order to put you on fish. They will also stay out after your morning trip has technically ended to try and put a few more fish in the box. Doing that burns a lot more gas and takes a lot more effort from that guide.

I’ve probably gone on one or more outfitted/guided hunts a year for the past two decades.

I guided hunters on a hog hunting plantation in GA for a time. Even dabbled with guiding Osceola turkey hunts a decade ago. So I’m probably sympathetic to Guides.

Tipping is a deeply personal decision. Some people do it and some people do not.

Guides often are paid by the outfitter on a per day basis. Sometimes it’s not much and the tips are how the Guides truly make their money. I’ve also hunted with an Outfitter that demanded that the hunters not tip the guides. He said he pays them a good wage and that keeping gratuities out of the equation keeps them all working as hard as they can and as a team.

I let the level of service dictate my decision to tip. If you are hunting whitetails the guides job may effectively be as a chauffeur bringing you to and from a stand. They then sit around camp all day until you call or nightfall. Others are glassing all day long so they are still working for you even though you aren’t together.

I’ve hunted out West a few times and met my guide days before the season opens to scout from daylight to sundown. Once the game is harvested they may very well have a pack full of meat on their back for the hike out too.

Even if I come up empty, if I truly believe they worked hard I’m gonna leave a tip. Hunting has got a lot more expensive in recent years. I don’t think using a percentage based scale works any more. So I generally limit my tip for the Guide to $100-150 a day at most. I always remember to tip the Camp Chef too. Cash is always preferred.

HR&G