I will be headed to Wyoming in October for a Elk and Mule deer hunt,,The cost of the trip is about $6000 before tags and licences...Is 15 % normal ???

It depends. I look at what all the guide has to do. And I am not talking about did you kill one or not. If you are lucky enough to get elk/deer and they work their butt off guiding, dressing, cutting up the game, packing it out, etc......I have never been on one that cost more than $3,500 and I have given $500 a few times. Then again, I have tipped the cook, the rangler, guys for helping pack my game out, etc....sometimes it is more than just the guide.

^^This^^ Depends on how much work they actually did. I usually tipped 10% minimum.

I'm a believer in being generous if they do a good job - from the cooks to guide to horse poop scooper - at 18-20 percent. Same as in a restaurant.

Gotta go with your conscience, though.

I assume you mean 18-20% TOTAL tip spread out among those other employee's?


If you paid 15% to 4 people that would be adding 60% to your hunt cost.

I can live with that ....If I feel like the guide,wrangler and cook do a spectacular job a $1200 tip ....how do you split it up
%50 %25 %25 ??

No, per person. Like I said, I appreciate someone's hard work if I'm being basically waited on hand-foot.

If it was 20% total spread out among 5-6 people, or even 2-3 people, that's just 6 or 7 percent or less. That's BS cheapskate tipping IMO.

WOW....

15-20% for the person who does the most for you on the trip. not the outfitter, but your actual "Guide".

cooks range from 50-200.00+
wrangler range from 50-200.00+

again, it depends on who does what, a lot of these trips your wrangler, guide and cook can be all the same person. many times your wrangler is your guide and vice versus. if the wrangler is your guide and handles all your saddling, scouting, cleaning, setting camp, etc. then he should be getting up to 20% or more. Tipping a cook 150-200.00 for a week of cooking in camp should be about right, depending on what they are cooking. A chef should be tipped more than someone heating up Brunswick stew and biscuits.
on a 6k trip, I would set aside 1500 for tips.

another factor is what kind of trip is it. will this be fully guided tent camp in the back country with one on one guide or is it a plush lodge where you are beside a cozy fireplace sipping fine wine each night being served by a team of wranglers, cooks, waitresses etc.?

One on one guide,tent camp,horseback in...4U Outfitters in Moran Wyoming..

I would set aside 15-1700 for tips and you can distribute that as you see fit for who does what in camp. Should you tip the cook the same as a guide? absolutely not. Should you tip a wrangler the same as a guide? absolutely not. Should a cook and wrangler get tipped the same? possibly, again depending on what effort each puts forth and how you feel about their service.
one option would be to get name and numbers from past clients, references, and ask them how they went about tipping to give you an idea of what you would be looking at.
just an fyi, if the outfitter can't provide references,,, be wary
again, just my 2cts

You'll love Moran. I named my daughter after that place. We lived near there and she was born close to there. Wild country there. I'd say min $500 for guide if he does his job, less for supporting staff (cook, etc). let me know how the outfitter works out by PM.

You guys must be rich!

I found this guide a few years ago....seemed reasonable, so it's what I use to help determine what to tip...

http://www.wildsheep.org/pdf/tipping.pdf

you gotta pay to play. i have never been on a guided trip. im just poor white florida trash though. aka CHIEF PECKER HEAD

I am very lucky my employer is paying for this...
and going with me...I very blessed to work for someone that appreciates my hard work and takes me on hunting trips..

Dang man.good deal. Is he hiring???

I'm a guide and an outfitter so I have a little bit of knowledge about this. I've also been on more than my fair share of guided trips so I've been on the other side as well.

That being said, 10-15% of the hunt cost to the guide would be the norm. The cook should get $200 or so for a 7-day trip. The other help should get $150-$250 for the week each. All of this isn't set in stone but it's a good reference.

This is determined by if they do their job or not. If the food sucks and the cook is not friendly and helpful, the tip should reflect that. The wrangler will likely be a young guy. He will probably work harder than anyone else in camp and should be rewarded for it. The guide should be compensated according to how he performs. If he works his a$$ off and you still don't get your trophies, it's not his fault. Sometimes the animals don't cooperate. On the other hand, if he doesn't try his best it should reflect in his tip.

Also, guides don't work for tips but we do expect them. Although most guides will accept a knife, binoculars, range finder etc, we really prefer cash. If your guide doesn't have a good set of binoculars, give him yours if you'd like but still had him some cash. I've given to date, 28 of Skullworks custom built knives to my guides all around the globe but I always give cash as well.

Just remember when you are tipping the guide the guides job is easy. All he has to do is: entertain you, keep you safe, make sure you are comfortable, make sure the camp is clean, know lots of jokes, tell interesting stories, know the area, know the animals, know how to get close to the animal, recognize your shortcomings, recognize your strong points, know how to take care of your trophy and meat, know the local game laws and regulations, manage the other camp staff, make sure the tents are in order, make sure the food is good, know how to handle most any situation that may arise, know how to handle the live stock, etc. It's a real easy job......

People tell me all the time that I have a great job. My response is always the same:

It is a great job when three things happen. When the weather cooperates, the hunter cooperates and the animals cooperate. The problem is, those three things almost NEVER happen at the same time.

Good luck and have fun.

I can see tipping the cook or ranch hand but why tip the guide who set his own price?

I've never seen a guide set his own price for tips.