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A GUIDE FOR TIPPING
YOUR GUIDE
By Dave Fulson
It
had been one of those hunts where everything had
gone as close to perfect as you can get on an elk
hunt. My week of pre-scouting in New Mexico’s
Gila wilderness had helped me pinpoint several big
bulls near the remote spike camp I had set up for
my client and myself in an attempt to get away from
big crowds on hand for the rifle season open.
It
could have ended on day one when my hunter shot over
the back of a 330 B&C bull at 200 yards because,
as he stated later, he thought it was closer to 400
yards. One scouted bull long gone. But after passing
two very nice bulls the next few days while looking
for a ‘monstah’ (my hunter, if it matters,
was from the deep south) we found one, and this time
my hunter dropped the big bull at about eighty yards.
The bull scored about 345 B&C points and my guy
was beside himself with joy.
As
I gutted, skinned, butchered and meat-sacked the
bull by myself, my hunter anointed me with every
compliment a guide could wish for as he sat in a
patch of sunlight next to a small fire he had asked
me to build him.
“Best
hunt I’ve ever been on”, was his comment
as he finished a final bite of the t-bone steak lunch
I bought him near the airport where I was depositing
him after a four-hour drive on my gas and time.
“This
worked out great, I didn’t have to rent a car
and you and I got to visit some more. You probably
got out of some chores, too”, he chuckled as
I paid the bill, seeing that he sure wasn’t
reaching for it. “Hey, Dave, let me get the
tip, that pretty gal’s a good waitress”,
he said as he flipped a generous tip on the tabletop.
Later as I unloaded his bags at the airport, he grabbed
my hand, shook it vigorously, and restated that I
was the best guide he had ever hunted with, and that
when he returned for an even bigger ‘monstah’,
that he would not think of hunting with anyone else
but ‘Super Dave’ (the handle he had graced
me with since day one).
With
that, he gave me back my hand, picked up his bags
and headed back to Sweet Home Alabama with a bruiser
elk. A $10 tip for a $30 meal, but zip for five days
of very hard hunting, packing, and driving, not to
mention sixteen hours of free airport shuttle service.
You know about death and taxes, let me throw in another
of life’s little guarantees: He may kill another
big elk, but it won’t be with ‘Super
Dave’!
Tipping,
gratuity, ‘greasing the guide’ or whatever
you choose to call it, is one of the most slippery
slopes guided hunters negotiate when an outfitted
hunt is considered. Many hunters have never been
on a guided hunt and don’t know what the protocol
is.
Each
year, I face the ‘what to tip’ question
from three very different angles: 1) as an outfitter
who employs guides, 2) as the client’s personal
guide, and 3) as a client.
As
an outfitter who employs guides, I’m often
asked by clients about tipping. In fact, I ease the
subject of gratuities into every pre-hunt meeting
I have with clients along with safety talks, hunt
strategy sessions, bag limits, etc. I explain to
my hunters that they are in the care of experienced
professional guides who’s skill and knowledge
will most likely determine the success of their hunt.
I state, up front, that tips are absolutely not mandatory,
but are always appreciated and without a doubt well-earned.
I am happy to give the tipping client suggestions
on amounts and let them decide how much they wish
to leave their guide.
When
I am the guide, and the client says, “I’d
like to tip you, but I don’t want to offend
you or overdo it”, things are a bit more tricky.
I usually give them a yearly average based on previous
clients in camp and let them make their decision
based on that.
Many
times, the acknowledgement of your effort in words
is as important to a professional guide as a tip,
but this is after all, his profession, and hunting
is this man’s way to pay the bills, not a fun
hobby.
As
a client myself several times each year, I simply
practice what I preach. If my man works hard, knows
his stuff, runs his camp, equipment and staff in
a professional manner, than I’m going to reward
his efforts in cash at the hunt’s conclusion.
And the amount is NOT based simply on horn or antler
scores on some damn tape measure. It will be based
on the effort and overall enjoyment of the hunting
experience.
A
word of warning here to an ever-growing number of
what I call ‘bounty hunters’, who seem
to be showing up in my camps from Austin all the
way to Africa. If you want to immediately insult
an experienced guide or professional hunter at the
beginning of your trip, just pull him aside and tell
him that if he wants a ‘really good tip’ he’ll
see to it that you bag the biggest buck or bull in
camp.
Trust
me on this; you have just been categorized as a problem
client regardless of your social status or bank balance.
Guides are never happy to be saddled with this type
of dude.
He
may work his tail off for you regardless, as his
professional credo demands, but he’ll do it
with a detached sense of ‘get him shot out
and back on a plane ASAP’ attitude instead
of the total enjoyment a fun-to-be-with client brings
to the guide/client relationship.
Professional
hunting guides, regardless of where they ply their
trade, rarely make over $150 US at the end of their
long, hard and oftentimes dangerous days. Figure
in gasoline, wear and tear on their own vehicles,
insurance and the like, and it’s easy to see
that no one in this game is getting rich regardless
of how much you shelled out for an elk hunt or African
safari. The fact is that cash tips at the end of
a hunt are a very important part of a professional
guide’s financial bottom line.
Another
fact is that, without being delicate, most all the
professional guides I employ, hunt with, and know
around the globe consider it a slap in the face to
be snubbed at the end of a hunt when they have put
in their best effort and the client has the financial
means to offer more than a handshake.
Since
he’s a pro, however, he will shake your hand,
compliment the beastie you bagged, thank you for
choosing him to hunt with and put you back on the
plane with a smile. All with the class of a true
professional, because that’s exactly what he
is.
But
the truth is that your final thought of him will
be far different from his of you, if you slighted
him at the conclusion of your hunt. Oh, I can hear
the wheels churning in some of your heads right now. “I
didn’t tip Ole’ Bill on our hunt, but
we were old friends by the time the trip was over,
and he would have probably been insulted if I had”.
I hope you buy that, but believe me, Ole’ Bill
- and Ole’ Dave - know better!
Professional
hunters do not have stock options, bonus incentives,
or mandatory pay raises and the like to fall back
on. Their earning potential is limited to a few months
on the calendar when they must make enough cash to
see themselves and their families throughout the
rest of the year.
They
also share the same range of emotions found by folks
in any other profession, including disappointment.
Dozens of times over the years, I’ve been stiffed
at the end of a hunt by guys that thought, and even
told me from time to time, “You make a daily
rate for doing your job, that’s enough.”
But
let that same guy find out that this year there would
be no Christmas bonus, (one he’s come to count
on each year) from his company even though his sales
numbers were through the roof, and we’ll see
how the old “Well you’ve got your regular
salary, that’s enough” suits him then!
I’m sure you get my point.
So,
what is an appropriate tip amount? Well, that depends
on many factors. Your overall enjoyment of the hunting
experience should be a determining factor. Right
here is a good time to state a very important fact.
Not all hunts are enjoyable experiences and not all
guides put forth the effort to be eligible for extra
consideration at the hunt’s conclusion.
I
have seen lazy, unprepared, and unqualified people
who impostered as true guides during my years in
this business, and you may have as well. Am I insinuating
that just because a guy has a business card that
says ‘Licensed Guide’ on it that a tip
of any sort is, or should be, mandatory? ABSOLUTELY
NOT!
Yours
Truly has suffered through a few of this type over
the years, and you can be assured that all I left
them was a piece of my mind at the hunt’s end.
Bad service and lack of effort should not be rewarded
in the bush any more than it should be at a restaurant.
But
if your trip was a well-run and enjoyable experience
and you wish to acknowledge it as such with a gratuity,
here are some guidelines. (see sidebar)
The
degree of difficulty in securing your desired trophy
should be a consideration. Sitting over a feeder
with a client waiting for a good Whitetail is a vastly
different proposition than wading into the long grass
after a poorly shot lion. Some professional hunters,
particularly those who pursue dangerous game in Africa,
face serious bodily injury and even death as a regular
part of their job. That should surely count for something.
Remember,
the guide is usually not the outfitter, he simply
works for him. It’s easy and sometimes understandable
for, lets say, a group of hunters on a top Whitetail
ranch to shell out $5000 per man with four men in
the group, and say, “Well, we just made that
guy $20,000 in four days, that should be plenty.”
Unless
the outfitter owns the ranch and the animals, he
probably only made a 10% commission on the total
hunt ($2000) from which he paid a cook, bought food,
and had to hire guides at between $100-$150 per day,
times 4. He probably spent around $100 per group
in long distance calls, brochures, gas for airport
pick-up and the like, just to secure the booking
in the first place. Are you starting to see the big
picture? Men wishing to end up in the Fortune 500
listing seldom choose professional hunting as a career.
Most
who do choose this career enjoy the game animals
they hunt, the country they operate in and, in the
vast majority of cases, the clients whom they join
with on a mutual adventure. The good ones are fun
to be with, know their game and their region, are
honest and direct in their dealings and have the
ability to make even the beginning hunter feel comfortable
and confident during the hunt. A good guide will,
no matter what the conditions or situation, always
give a good effort. Your satisfaction will always
be his number one goal.
A
heartfelt ‘Thank You’ from a good client
who gave a modest tip may indeed be more genuinely
appreciated than $500 being flung down on the table
by some high-roller who did it more for the show,
than to show true recognition for the effort.
Let
your conscience and honest feeling for the guide
be the determining factor, as well as your financial
situation when deciding a tip amount.
This
is a game with no written rules, although the ‘Golden’ one
fits pretty well here. I hope you can use the above
information to get a better foothold on the slippery
slope of the tipping dilemma.
SIDEBARS
Gear
in Place of Cash
In some cases a client may wish to tip the guide with a piece of gear
instead of cash. While cash is preferable with most guides in the majority
of cases, a quality piece of gear can be a very appreciated gesture.
I have seen binoculars, spotting scopes, clothing and even rifles given
as tips years ago, that are still in use today, long after the equivalent
of cash would have been spent and forgotten.
If
you choose this route, just make certain it is an
item of better quality than your man currently owns,
and not something you’re simply trying to get
rid of. If you think of a gift you think he may need
but you don’t have on hand, tell him to expect
a surprise in the mail and then follow through as
soon as you get back home. This important act of
etiquette will be greatly appreciated.
Camp
Staff
In
most African camps, the staff of helpers can be quite
large compared with most North American Hunts.
Trackers,
skinners, cook staff, tent boys, laundry workers
and general helpers the like can make appropriate
tips a bit tricky. Consult your P.H. or camp manager
on what would be reasonable for the staff and he
will be happy to assist you. Oftentimes, I tip the
staff through the P.H. and he tips the help according
to their position in the camp pecking order.
Remember,
there are people working for you that you may never
even see ( example: shower boy, mechanic or tent
cleaner ) but let them take a day off, and you would
immediately miss their service! Don’t forget
about these folks.
Trackers
The
tracker is without a doubt the most important staff
position on most safaris. You will be with them all
day, every day, and it is normal that strong bonds
and pleasant memories will be forged with them. Tipping
trackers is something that each client usually feels
strongly about since they “watch” them
earn their meager pay daily, often under dangerous
conditions.
Ask
your P.H. his thoughts on the amount at the safaris
conclusion and he will give you an idea of what might
be appropriate. One more thing, it is customary to
tip the trackers personally, away form the others.
We usually carry cash on the last day for this and
it is preceded by a short word of thanks and a handshake
in the field. If you do not speak the lingo, your
P.H. will translate, but your guys will know what
you are saying and they will appreciate you for it.
Game
Scout
In
Zimbabwe, a government game scout will accompany
you in the field each day. He is legally there to
observe and to ensure all game rules are obeyed.
Some scouts simply observe the hunt and do little
else. But, a great many become a very important part
of the hunting team by tracking, changing flats,
cutting brush, recovering game, ect. If you get a
hard working scout, the entire Chifuti team very
much appreciates you tipping him at the end of the
hunt. His job is a dangerous one, and his Zimbabwe
paycheck is shockingly small, even by Zim standards,
so remember him if he was a hard worker.
Your
PH
In
today’s society, most waiters and waitresses
average a 10%-15% tip for taking an order and delivering
it with a smile. Professional hunters and their staff
usually work a lot harder for far less, so remember
that fact before the final handshake on your next
hunt.
TYPE
OF SAFARI P.H. TIP TRACKER TEAM CAMP MGR CAMP STAFF
7 day plains game 400.00 50.00 each 100.00 75.00
10 day plains game 500.00 75.00 each 125.00 100.00
10 day buffalo / plains game 750.00 150.00 each 125.00 300.00
14 day buffalo / leopard / plains 1,000.00 175.00 each 150.00 400.00
18 day buffalo / lion / plains game 1,500.00
200.00 each 200.00 500.00
21 day ‘big 4’ hunt 2,000.00 250.00 each 250.00 600.00
Remember,
our tipping suggestions are no different than any
other portion of this information package. Their
sole purpose is to help our client prepare for and
enjoy their safari experience. And as always, tipping
is at the discretion of you, the client.
