Guide for a Deer Hunt

How to Tip a Guide for a Deer Hunt
By Lindsay Wood, eHow Contributor
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Guided deer hunting trips are a good way to hunt in an unfamiliar area. Costs associated with guided hunting trips usually include licenses, equipment, meals, outfitter or hunting camp fees and some transportation. Gratuity for the hunting guide is often overlooked.

Experienced deer hunting guides work hard to give clients a good experience and successful hunt. In return, hunting guides are compensated with tips, or gratuity, from clients.
Difficulty: Easy
Instructions
Things You'll Need:

    * Cash or a personal check

   1.      Review the events of the guided deer hunt, and consider these questions to determine how much to tip the hunting guide:

      Did the guide try to make the deer hunting experience a good one?

      Was the hunting guide in good spirits and polite?

      Did the hunting guide do all of the work like carrying and setting up the equipment?

      Was a deer harvested during the trip?

      How much did the guided deer hunting trip cost?

      How was the deer hunting trip overall?
   2.    Base the tip amount on a percentage of the cost of the hunt. The accepted industry standard is 10 to 20 percent of the total cost of the hunt according to Mike Moen of huntthenorth.com.

      For example, if a guided deer hunt costs $1,000, a good guide tip would range from $100 to $200.
   3.      Tipping a guide based on the hunt experience is also an acceptable practice, ESPN 2's Advantage Adventures Host Tom Miranda says.

      If the hunting guide did not meet expectations, tip him based on his performance rather than by percentage. If the guide was great, it's also fine to tip more than 20 percent. Many guides also appreciate hunting gear and equipment as tips.
   4.      Hand the tip directly to the guide or guides rather than the outfitter that employs the guide. A handshake and a word of thanks should accompany the tip, upland hunting guide Ed Hall recommends.