Tipping your guide

Joe Friday

Joe Friday

Well-known member

Its been a long time since I used a hunting guide for ducks. Is a 15-20% tip appropriate? What are your thoughts?

I put a trip report at the end of this thread
 
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On the few guided trips I have been on we tipped 50.00 a man per day.Which worked out to a little over 15%.
 
Thank you, Sir. I did some more reading and found that to be an appropriate percentage. It sounded about right to me, but wanted to hear from others.

best wishes.
 
On my recent hunt to the Outer Banks we were advised ahead of time that 15-20% was the proper tip. That would be 15-20% of the cost to each man if you were dividing up the fee of the hunt.

$200 pp hunt equals $30 pp tip at 15%.

Larry
 
Good hunting and fishing guides who put their clients first deserve a tip. Then there are the guides who pretty much use your trip and money so they can hunt and fish. Most of the guides I have hired have been good guys....but I remember some others who took the bow of the boat so they could get the first cast or demanded any bands that were on ducks and geese that the clients shot so they could put them on their call lanyards. That said, they didn't get the bands or my repeat business.
 
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I can't speak to what duck guides get, but I have plenty of friends who guide anglers and would say that tips of $50-100 on trips that typically run $250-400 are normal. Less than that if you get bad service; more if it's exceptional.

I would add that in my experience, the guide is often not working all that hard on the days when the fishing is great, and working a lot harder on the slow days. I suspect the tips break the other way. :)
 
I am opposed to tipping period.... So.. I tip on attractiveness.... Since I don't use guides.... I guess that applies to food service more....
 
Is the guide the owner of the guide service or a hired hand? That would factor in my decision to tip. If the guide is the same fellow that owns the guide service I'd be inclined to think he sets his rates to ensure he is adequately compensated. If the guide service hires people to take you out I'd be suspect they are paid minimally and need tips to make it work their effort.

If I'm wrong in my thinking someone let me know.

Eric
 
Thanks for the information and input. Your points are well made and much appreciated.

We've already laid out some understandings about shooting and hunter/guide expectations. I know what you mean about guides who use the trip we're paying for as their own hunting expedition. This is something I specifically addressed with the outfitter and I've been assured that will not be the case for us. We have experienced that, too, in a previous hunt several years ago.

Eric, I believe this guide is a hired hand. I will definitely take it into account.

PS: I'll provide a trip report afterwards with any recommendation if suitable.
 
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Yes, its a good idea to be upfront about expectations. I have told guides before we went out that I did not want to hunt over robo ducks (I don't want to get into an online argument or discussion about spinners.....there are people who like them and others that don't). Some of the guides argued and some of them seemed relieved that they didn't have to set the damn things up. The ones that argued didn't get my business.
 
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$50 per guide, or $50 per gun? When I drop $200 a day for a hunt, what justifies a tip?
Click to expand...

It was per gun. The guide has a helper in the field and has other guide's scouting future hunts. The tips were for them.

I use the same service ,so when the boys know we're coming they know their hard work is appreciated .
 
Service=tip
If they promise and don't deliver, tip should reflect-If they do their best, you have a good time, and they do everything possible, then tip accordingly.
 
The original definition of "tip" was "to insure performance".
Did your guide to a very good job or just a job? Tip accordingly.
 
Been in this type a business a long time will never solicit a tip but we will accept them if the clients so chooses to give them. How much that ranges all over the board. You will never see us with a sign that says "mates only work for tips" or "tipping is just not a small town in china". Whether I own the business is irrelevant me. To me this is no different than a restaurant, some people tip some don't, but I know that a high proportion of our repeat clients tip.
 
As a guide myself here in NY we don't necessarily expect tips, but 20-25% is the usual rate averaging out to $50 sometimes even a generous $100 for a half day $250 hunt 1 man. Full day tips are usually double that anywhere from $100-125 usually depends on how many shots the clients get off even if they can't manage to bag some for the day. It's all about the overall experience & quality of the hunt itself along with the client's satisfaction.
 
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I have always tipped guides when I hunted with them, have had a couple that weren't that good, but most were great and tried to get me on birds. Whether I got a lot of shooting or not was never part of the equation for me. If the guide worked to try and make sure I had a good time is all I ask for.I also tipped a couple of lousy guides, but not as much. $50 per gun is what our group has done.
 
I promised a trip report:

I booked with an outfitter here in NC, "Dare to Hyde Adventures" headquartered in Mattamuskeet, NC. They offer eco-tour Bear Watching in the summer, along with duck hunts and bear hunts in the winter. I'm sure most people who read this forum are familiar with the duck hunting heritage of Lake Mattamuskeet in NC.

We met our guide at 5:00 am at the headquarters of the outfitter, which is a very nice lodge and meeting building on the southside of Lake Mattamuskeet. They have taken an old hotel, and refurbished it. That must have taken a sizable investment for them to do. It looks nice. It looks to be an extensive operation.

Since I live nearby, it was not necessary for us to stay at the lodge, but we met hunters from South Carolina and from Wisconsin there, too.

Our guide was an enthusiastic young man named Matthew. Oh to be 19 years old, drive a nice chevy 4WD, and work as a duck hunting guide--that would be the life!. He is from Mattamuskeet and we could tell he loves to hunt and fish. He was polite, a hard worker, and very outgoing. I could see that he genuinely attempted to engage us and get to know us. You can tell when a boy is raised the right way.

We rode with him to an impoundment surrounded by fields of flooded corn stalks, as far as you can see, on the north side of the lake. we took a vigorous walk of about a 1/4 of a mile through water, knee-deep and with a very mucky bottom, to blind at far edge of the impoundment. I admit I struggled through it, wishing I'd had a wading staff. I almost lost my balance a few times.

At the blind we encountered hundreds upon hundreds of tundra swan roosting in the water. What a roar they made when we arrived!

Matthew arranged the decoys while we got into the blind and got situated. He briefed us on legal shooting times, and we discussed calling the shots. He told us if we saw something he didn't, then we were free to shoot. We talked about proper ranges and sky busting, too. Generally, the communication level was very good.

As legal shooting hour approached, we were continually swarmed by hundreds of birds. There was a cacophony of sound ( I wanted to use the word cacophony for a long time!) as swan, pintails, widgeon, gadwall, mallards, and teal were calling all around us.

With a steady north wind at our backs and the sky heavily overcast, I think our conditions were near perfect. Temps were in the mid 40s: It was cold but not freezing.

At 6:50 am, we fired our first shots. At 7:15 am, we had our limits.

Matthew did all the retrieving. We had expected to stay all day, and we were prepared for it with food, drinks, shotgun shells, and all the other extra gear one might need for a long day in the blind. (I always bring T.P.)

We sat in the blind for another 20-30 minutes and watched the birds put on a show. We talked about the birds and the shooting. Matthew got some pictures for the guide service, and we took a few ourselves.

Matthew carried our birds out to the ATV as we trudged along behind, out again through the sticky muck.

Back at the truck we tarried a long while, still watching the birds working in the flooded fields, taking a few more pictures, and generally enjoying the morning.

Matthew then gave us a short tour of the farm in the ATV, and we saw some of the other impoundments. We stayed there until nearly 10:00. I really appreciated that, as it helped extend our time in the field and we could continue to enjoy the feel of the wind and see the birds overhead. They were everywhere!

Finally, we drove back to the outfitter headquarters and unloaded our gear.

I am told that hunting had been tough most of the season due to the very warm weather. Thankfully the cold snap this week made a big difference and the guide service reported lots of new birds had been pushed down South.

Overall the experience was very positive. Any critiques I have are minor and not worth mentioning here. We appreciated Matthew's attitude and demeanor, and we complimented him to the outfitter when we checked out.

Here are some pics:

2016-01-08_06-59-55 by Joe Friday, on Flickr

Riding in the impoundment 2016 by Joe Friday, on Flickr

P1070012 by Joe Friday, on Flickr

Jay in Ducks January 2016 by Joe Friday, on Flickr

Still Life Ducks 2016 by Joe Friday, on Flickr

Tundra Swan overcast 2016 by Joe Friday, on Flickr

Joe Friday with ducks Jan 2016 by Joe Friday, on Flickr
 
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Sounds like you had a great hunt and that Mathew deserved a pretty damn good tip!!
 
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