Booked a seven day archery elk hunt in Idaho next September. 7 days total. Looking for an idea of how much to tip and the etiquette behind it. How much? Need to be in cash? Tip on last day?

I only have experience tipping fishing guides. Thanks in advance for the help.

10% I would think would be the least you'd want to tip.

Tip only if they refill your drinks.

Totally depends on the experience and how much "extra" your guide puts in. 10% is a good starting point. Below that would be for less than satisfactory work. Anything above 15% would be a complementing extra effort.

A_Gang_Ag_06 said:

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Booked a seven day archery elk hunt in Idaho next September. 7 days total. Looking for an idea of how much to tip and the etiquette behind it. How much? Need to be in cash? Tip on last day?

I only have experience tipping fishing guides. Thanks in advance for the help.

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I went on a wilderness elk hunt a few years ago. Everyone tipped on the last day and the consensus of the hunters in the camp was 10% of the cost of the hunt to the guide and $100 per person for the cook and wrangler. Might seem like a lot but those guys work long hard days, and probably don't get paid that well by the outfitter.

10-15% good. For sure cash. Last day. Idaho beautiful country, hunted middle fork of salmon river many times. Elk, deer, lion.

15-20% if they do a great job. 20% if it's awesome and you expect to be back and have some sort of preference with the ranch manager/guides

Thanks for the responses everyone.

Always hard to answer. Even when I think about my own situations.

Lets say it's a $7,000 hunt. 10% = $700. Seems fair to me. But if they go above and beyond, take that into consideration. Some of these outfitters pay guides $100-300+ per day, so to think that you would match that $100 per day with your tip (going off my numbers above) sounds silly…why should a Hunter pay as much in a tip per day as the outfitter is paying for the guide?

What if you tag out on day 1? You still tipping 10% of the hunt cost? What about not pulling the trigger? Things to think about.

Depends for me on whether guide takes us on the game trails or just simply parks us by a feeder in blinds

Custom, challenging experiences is what I reward

Cash tip on the last day. The amount should depend on the hunt experience but I agree on starting at 10 percent unless you were really disappointed. The guides often spend lots of time pre season setting up camp, staging supplies for the camp and pack animals and are depending on good tips to supplement their income. On a backcountry trip, that's why you pay a guide and not DIY for most people. Not uncommon to tip 25 percent if you can afford it and have a great, successful hunt.

We went up to the Challis/Salmon area this summer for the first time and I was amazed at the remoteness. Plan on making a hunt there one day. Beautiful area.

Where are you hunting and what tag option did you use?

Don't forget about the cooks and any hired help. I feel like they work just as hard and always seem to be forgotten.

AGGIE WH08P said:

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Always hard to answer. Even when I think about my own situations.

Lets say it's a $7,000 hunt. 10% = $700. Seems fair to me. But if they go above and beyond, take that into consideration. Some of these outfitters pay guides $100-300+ per day, so to think that you would match that $100 per day with your tip (going off my numbers above) sounds silly…why should a Hunter pay as much in a tip per day as the outfitter is paying for the guide?

What if you tag out on day 1? You still tipping 10% of the hunt cost? What about not pulling the trigger? Things to think about.

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I think you are overthinking it a bit. It's not apples to apples, but we are often tipping a waiter far more than their employer is paying them (and don't get me started on what's wrong with that system in America).

Base it off of your experience- period. If you were pressured into shooting on the first day, so the guide could try to make it home early (I've personally seen this)- that isn't the same as someone who pops a 375" bull on their first hunt and is perfectly happy to end it early. A good guide should sit down and talk about your goals and objectives, and work hard to meet them- wether that is creating a week of memories or killing the biggest animal possible. That guide is worthy of a tip.

It also depends on all sorts of things. Was this a high fence place where the guide just ferried you to and from the blind and made sure you didn't shoot the wrong one, but the other staff did a lot more work? Or is it a backcountry camp where your guide is doing 100 other things for you in addition to the hunting, and likely spent months all summer prepping the camp.

I don't think a single rule or standard can be applied. There are way too many variables in what people call hunting trips. If they work hard and make a solid personal connection with you, and do their best to exceed your expectations- they should be worthy of a solid tip regardless of results.

Just my .02

cupofjoe04 said:

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AGGIE WH08P said:

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Always hard to answer. Even when I think about my own situations.

Lets say it's a $7,000 hunt. 10% = $700. Seems fair to me. But if they go above and beyond, take that into consideration. Some of these outfitters pay guides $100-300+ per day, so to think that you would match that $100 per day with your tip (going off my numbers above) sounds silly…why should a Hunter pay as much in a tip per day as the outfitter is paying for the guide?

What if you tag out on day 1? You still tipping 10% of the hunt cost? What about not pulling the trigger? Things to think about.

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I think you are overthinking it a bit. It's not apples to apples, but we are often tipping a waiter far more than their employer is paying them (and don't get me started on what's wrong with that system in America).

Base it off of your experience- period. If you were pressured into shooting on the first day, so the guide could try to make it home early (I've personally seen this)- that isn't the same as someone who pops a 375" bull on their first hunt and is perfectly happy to end it early. A good guide should sit down and talk about your goals and objectives, and work hard to meet them- wether that is creating a week of memories or killing the biggest animal possible. That guide is worthy of a tip.

It also depends on all sorts of things. Was this a high fence place where the guide just ferried you to and from the blind and made sure you didn't shoot the wrong one, but the other staff did a lot more work? Or is it a backcountry camp where your guide is doing 100 other things for you in addition to the hunting, and likely spent months all summer prepping the camp.

I don't think a single rule or standard can be applied. There are way too many variables in what people call hunting trips. If they work hard and make a solid personal connection with you, and do their best to exceed your expectations- they should be worthy of a solid tip regardless of results.

Just my .02

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Backcountry hunt. The outfitter employs his two sons and his son-in-law as guides. Depending on where the bulls are to be found, will travel by truck or atv to get to them then hunt on foot every day. If it gets to the end of the hunt and nothing has been taken we will travel by horseback from a more remote camp. Guide gets allocated 75 tags per year. I obviously pay for my tag and it goes through me but the tag is guaranteed and don't have to deal with things like preference points. Was one of the big reasons I decided on this hunt.

Struck out in western CO this year. I had an epiphany while I was out hunting one day freezing my nuts off and not able to get to where the game was. I do t have the time, money, or days off per year to scout and properly equip like the local guys. Me hunting third rifle OTC in CO was the equivalent of a CO guy deciding he wanted to catch a bull red. So he drove to Texas, bought a zebco closed face reel, a box of dead shrimp, and fished off the boat ramp. Me hunting unfamiliar territory with no real way to get into the herds, or the local knowledge of their patterns was the equivalent of this.

Interesting take. Hadn't thought about it like that.


And my smartass reply to the thread topic of tipping is that I'm cheap. I do DIY hunts so I don't have to tip.