I have always taken tips and frequently waive any payment. Doing this the full season long i would guess you average $75 with a range of $25 to $300.

This year to date my average is $46.25 if you dont count two I did for free. $31 if you count them. Probably going to have to put off a European vacation.

So what is/was your set fee?

I typically charge 75-100 just depending on how far it is. I don’t mind at all helping someone out that doesn’t have the funds but kinda like CNC said.. when you pull up somewhere and they get out of a 70k truck toting a 4K rifle in 1500 worth of camo and act like they can’t afford 75 it will leave a sore taste. I haven’t understood trackers charging more for recoveries myself. Both me and my dogs work harder on the deer we can’t recover. I can understand if it ends in a bay situation but just haven’t wrapped my head around finding the dead deer costing more

I’ve paid $100-$300 every time we’ve called a dog for a track. They deserve it.

I got $100 last night and $250 this morning. Both were recoveries and folks tend to do more on them. Funny thing is you generally work 2 or 3 times as long and harder on the non-recoveries

I was thinking more about johnv’s question this morning on the ride home about which way was better and about what the price point is for what someone might set as a fee….I mean agreed upon tip.

There’s an economic term that I believe is called “willingness to pay”…..Its basically the price point that the majority of customers see as acceptable or that they are “willing to pay” for a good or service. Tracking for tips will kinda tell you what that number is after a while……Just look at the $$ amount the majority of folks are giving you, throw out the outliers, and you kinda have your willingness to pay price in the middle. It may actually be slightly higher but you’d be in the ballpark…..

So at some point if you do decide to stop tracking for the cheap folks then you set a rate at that price point you determined and work to increase your customer base to make up for any volume loss. To me the idea of charging more for a recovery is just adding on the tip that someone usually gives you for finding it and cutting out the idea of expecting everyone “to do the right thing”…….If you set a reasonable flat rate fee…..about half the folks are going to give you an additional tip on top of that rate when you recover the deer and half are just going to give you the minimum ……After a while, creating the “X” rate to show up and additional “Y” rate if its found is just making that other half throw in that finder’s tip. Again, it’s just having folks go ahead and agree to pay what you’re just hoping or expecting they will give you with the “tip” rate.....I think most hunters would be alright with $100 to show up plus $100 if the deer is recovered.

^^
I would b ok w that

I would think in today's time if you are tracking you need to have venmo at a minimum and possibly cashapp also. I personally have neither but always try and carry a couple hundred bucks on me so I would atleast have something to pay if the need arose but in many instances folks do not have cash or a check anymore but they do have venmo or cashapp and that might be your ticket to getting something.

I would like to know in advance so I would have the cash on hand.

With so many new trackers out there I may change my rate if I have to follow another dog. Last year I had a gutnshot deer that would have been found in his 1st bed had the hunter not used 2 dogs that didn't know what they were doing. We got to the first bed and there was blood and guts in the bed and 2 fresh piles of dog crap. When I asked if he had another track dog he said well not trained ones. We followed the last blood to the property line and called it cause we didn't have permission.

But to answer the original question I do 100.00 to come out if it's not too far. My time is more valuable than a handshake. That being said I've been on several tracks where the hunter didn't have much and we worked it out.

I didn’t read the comment a so I apologize in advance, I can tell you that for my kids first deer , I would have paid any amount. I will also add that my sons first buck, the tracker came out and was not gonna charge me anything even though we recovered , just because it was a kid. He would not take my money for anything. I went to his truck while he was taking pics with the dog and deer and my son. I laid the money in his seat. If I call a dog, I am prepared to pay up to 500 even without a recovery