The Economics of Guiding: Why Tips Matter

By Steve Wagner 

“How much should I tip my guide?” is the most universally asked question among hunters booking an outfitted big game hunt.

So says Greg Ray, founder of Outdoor Solutions, an Oklahoma-based booking agent for outfitters across the U.S. and Canada. He and his staff ensure clients are informed, licensed, equipped, and prepared for anything and everything, including gratuities.

“We make sure hunters understand that guides, cooks, and staff typically work for a small daily rate, like a base wage. And, as with most service positions, it’s the tips that really make them viable part-time professions,” said Ray.

Guides are often considered the most important part of an outfitting business. A good, experienced guide working for a reputable multi-species big-game Western outfitter has a chance to earn $40,000 to $50,000 or more during the three months of big game seasons, with about two-thirds of the income coming from tips.

However, earnings can vary wildly from year to year. Relying solely on income from guiding can be risky. In Colorado, guides still talk about a blizzard that hit a few years ago just prior to the late rifle season. Hunters cancelled trips en masse. When game populations decline, tags are reduced, and so are paying customers. When states decrease permits for non-residents, guides are among the first to feel the pinch.

Tips can also be random luck. Sometimes it all depends on who happens to sit down at your table—even great waitresses can get stiffed. It happens in hunting, too.

Rod Paschke of Sizzlin’ S Outfitters in Montana recalls his first tip as a big game guide. He worked his tail off. His hunter was departing camp with a nice bull elk, a tremendous muley buck, and a big grin. All despite missing his first shot—an easy 150-yard poke at a standing target—after a grueling stalk. As the hunter drove away, Paschke looked inside the paper bag presented to him as gratuity for their five days together.

“He’d tipped me three $20’s and a block of cheese,” laughs Paschke.

That’s okay. His next hunter rewarded him generously with a big wad of cash, plus the custom-built rifle that he’d carried on their hunt.

Hunting Tip Percentages 

• 10% (Minimum): The guide met basic expectations and fulfilled the contract professionally.
• 12% to 15% (Average): The standard gratuity for a guide who worked hard, stayed positive, and provided a quality experience.
• 20% (Excellent): A "hearty pat on the back" for a guide who went above and beyond in scouting, customer service, and effort.
• Flat Rate for Cooks: It is customary to tip the camp cook at least $200 per week.
• Lodge Staff: For high-end or "five-star" service, plan on $30–$40 per night for house staff.

Over time, tips are the economic driver that keeps good guides in the field—and helps the not-so-good ones take that first step toward a more rewarding career in a different field.

Today, Ray says that a cash tip equal to 10 percent of the outfitted hunt price signals to a guide that he or she has met your minimum standards or expectations. Twelve to 15 percent is average. Tipping up to 20 percent is a hearty pat on the back for a job done exceedingly well and in good humor. Don’t tip based on making a kill, he adds. “It’s about rewarding hard work, excellent customer service, and attention to detail.”

Additionally, it’s customary for each hunter to tip the cook at least $200 a week. For high-end lodge hunts with five-star service, plan on tipping house staff $30-$40 a night.

What about special circumstances during a hunt? What if you tag out on the first day—is it okay to tip less? What if your outfitter switches you to a different guide midway through a hunt—should each guide get 20 percent? What if you carelessly drop your guide’s spotting scope, destroying it—does that warrant extra gratuity? Let your good conscience and business sensibilities help decide when to tip over or under the suggested amounts, and if in doubt, ask the outfitter.

However, with so many variables, some outfitters have stopped advising hunters on tips.

Paschke, who still guides as well as owns and operates Sizzlin’ S, explained, “Tipping is a hunter’s personal choice. I try to stay out of it. Our camp cook keeps a tip jar on the table. Customers should be the ones deciding if she’s done a good job and how much to leave in the jar.”

As for guides, “I don’t like throwing out certain percentages to leave as a tip,” he said. “If a client presses, I’ll provide examples of highs and lows that I’ve seen personally. I’ll tell that cheese story and the custom rifle story and let the hunter take it from there.”