Tipping guide /outfitters...... Mods move it if need be

thegunnut

thegunnut

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Niagara area
So...
For the first time in my life I have used a guide/ outfitter for waterfowl in Ontario.
What is the appropriate tip for good service ?
In % please.
In future, I am uncertain whether to trust my friends 0-10% or my own personal experience which is somewhat more for good service/ effort.
Thx
 
Average is 10 to 15 as with any other service related industry. With that being said the key is still service that exceeds your expectations.
 
Tipping is definitely appreciated. I won't put a number or percentage on it but I believe it should reflect the experience, level of service, effort put forth by the guide/outfitter ect ect. I've hunted with some awful guides and they got squat...hunted with some fantastic guides and they got tipped very well. My two cents
 
I usually make more in tips than I get paid from the outfitter. But that isn't always the case for most guides, I somewhat specialized and do way way more than the outfitter hires me for. After time a good guide ends up guiding the same groups every year. Some guys tip well no matter what, others don't tip no matter what. I would suggest you make that call when your hunt is over for yourself, no one can judge the experience better than you! You will know if a tip is justified or not, and if you feel good about the amount.

My $0.02. Obviously not enough to buy yourself a cup of coffee!!
 
I think lot depends on varying factors.
The cost of the hunt for one. If I paid $5000 for a hunt I am not tipping $500-$750. Ever. I would tip $100
Some outfitters state on their web pages to tip the guides $500-$800 and the cook $350 etc. Personally I would use a different outfit.

Service for sure regardless of how successful you were. If it was a great time then go ahead
What you can afford is another factor. Tipping what they state is like me handing them my rifle and saying "keep this".

I am getting tired of paying for something then being expected to pay more voluntarily.
No one ever paid me more voluntarily.

I don't tip my mechanic and he gives me great service (as an example) and he is not looking for a tip either.

You will get lots of opinions, this is a touchy topic, not asking anyone to like it or agree with it, just offering my view
 
Bigbubba said:
I think lot depends on varying factors.
The cost of the hunt for one. If I paid $5000 for a hunt I am not tipping $500-$750. Ever. I would tip $100
Some outfitters state on their web pages to tip the guides $500-$800 and the cook $350 etc. Personally I would use a different outfit.

Service for sure regardless of how successful you were. If it was a great time then go ahead
What you can afford is another factor. Tipping what they state is like me handing them my rifle and saying "keep this".

I am getting tired of paying for something then being expected to pay more voluntarily.
No one ever paid me more voluntarily.

I don't tip my mechanic and he gives me great service (as an example) and he is not looking for a tip either.

You will get lots of opinions, this is a touchy topic, not asking anyone to like it or agree with it, just offering my view
Click to expand...

I think that the guides and outfitters that recommend tipping 10% welcome your refusal of patronage. I'd piss in your luggage if you gave me a $100 tip after a week long hunt.
 
Min 10% but my experience with some waterfowl guides I have hunted with want your unused ammo.
Leaving 8 or so boxes for them to use after you are gone can also be a nice tip especially if you have some bismuth or other non steel non tox in the ammo box
One guy wanted some of my bands on my laynard and didnot want any cash
I would just ask
Cheers
 
When I used to guide fishing in Ontario at a fly in, with a 4 day fishing trip (~$2000+tx) I've been tipped anywhere between $50-2100 with the average being around $300-400 per couple. So really it's only $150-200 per person and that's fairly standard when you get into the mid-high end fishing outfits I think. My daily pay was $110/day (6am-5pm plus 6-9pm or around $7-8/hr) and I also would do the dock duty jobs at the end of a day of guiding (that added the extra 4hrs of work) so I would get that tip check too which was about $20 per person in camp. I would work 7 days a week Mid-May to Mid-September with one week of shutdown, no available time off, and stuck on ##### island all summer. At the end of my last season there I made a little under $30,000, almost 2/3rds being tips, but I definitely had to work for it and dedicate literately every waking hour I had to that place. Other guides didn't fare so well because of their attitude/personality/laziness/ect.

For hunting, the tips used to be all over the place. It was black bear hunting over a baited stand so really what influence does a guide have over that other than skinning the bear. I think I got $100-300 per bear.

For waterfowl hunts I'd think 0% for a terrible experience, then 10-20% depending on the quality of the hunt and guide, not exactly quantity of birds.
 
For me, it would be easier to wrap my head around it by incorporating the tipping cost into the trip cost before going on the hunt,,

Just add 10-20% to the overall cost, done,,
 
thegunnut said:
So...
For the first time in my life I have used a guide/ outfitter for waterfowl in Ontario.
What is the appropriate tip for good service ?
In % please.
In future, I am uncertain whether to trust my friends 0-10% or my own personal experience which is somewhat more for good service/ effort.
Thx
Click to expand...

The outfitter shouldn't get a tip, just the guides. In other words, whoever you're paying for the hunt shouldn't get a tip, even if he's guiding you. It really depends on how much you're paying, how long was the duration, service,etc. Generally the higher the initial price of the hunt, the lower the tip percentage. While sheep guides make good tips, $4000+ isn't the norm for a Stone's hunt, whereas a guy may tip a pronghorn guide $300-$400 on a 3 day, $2500 hunt.
 
I agree with most here, when I was in BC I received tips of $500-$7,500 for a week. Depending upon the client, how well we clicked, and the success of the hunt.

If I am guiding fisherman or bear hunters, or waterfowlers, it is far far less.

I go into every adventure expecting nothing, working to make their stay the best I can possibly give them, and no matter how small, if any, the gratuity may be, will not change how I portray myself. It's a pride thing. No pissing in luggage! (That did make me laugh BUM)

If ANYONE, here or elsewhere would like to come moose hunting, deer hunting, bear hunting, fishing, waterfowl, or whatever else we have to offer here in northwestern Ontario, I guarantee one thing, you will enjoy your time here. The people I live and play with here are some of the best natured, giving, fun people to be around. I am lucky to live at a resort.
 
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