I have commented on this same subject about a year ago on AH and I am not surprised that it has come up again. Tiping is just one of those issues that confounds hunters at nearly every camp I have ben too, sometimes to the point of creating anxiety for several days near the end of the hunt. Personally, I think that American hunters (I am an American by the way) are responsible for taking tiping out of the general realm of a gracious gesture and introduced it as an expectation of entitlement that can cause jubilation or sour a whole camp based on the tip left by the previous hunting party.
I have booked 2 Safari's this year with the hope of scoring on the classic Big 5 plus several plains game species this year. I was fortunate enough to have my PH visit and stay with me in the States for several days and we were able to address the tipping issue in detail well before the hunt.
I was given similar guidelines as Jerome original article when it can to the maids, cook, camp staff, skinners and trackers. Not percentages but actual dollar amounts. For example, about $5/day for the camp staff, $15/animal for each animal the skinner has to work with, $5-10/day for the head tracker and if there is a clear head tracker and a subordinate who also does the driving, about 1/2 of the amount to the subordinate tracker than is given to the head tracker.
My PH was not demanding but concerned about "over-tipping." His feeling was that those guys who are very generous create an expectation for the next group of hunters coming into camp. The group that comes in after a great tipper will get very good service in hopes of an equally large tip. If they do not get such a generous tip, the camp can sour and the next group can pay for the disappointed staff with less than stellar service. I think it is a very good idea to talk this over with the outfitter and PH before you even book the hunt. If there seems to be an expectation of a particular tip, or the suggested range seems high to you as the hunter, you intuition may be well worth following and you should look elsewhere.
I staunchly, but respectfully, disagree with the suggestion of a tip based on a percentage of the cost of the hunt. As I said, I will be on 2 safari's for dangerous game. the hunts, when you include daily rates and trophy fees will easily cost $100,000 or more. Based on the 10% of cost average, the tip would be at least $10,000. I cannot see any justification for that kind of a tip. The camp staff works no harder for a DG hunt than a PG hunt so that hardly forms a reasonable justification for the tip. Why should it matter to the cook or maid what animals I am hunting or how much I spend on trophy fees?
If the justification is the dangerous element of the hunt and the bulk of such a tip goes to the PH, I have to query what I am paying the PH for in the first place. Is the tip so that he or she will work harder to find the trophies I am there to hunt? That is just crazy - I am already paying over a $100,000 for the outfitter and PH to work and locate game on my hunt, why do I need to promise 10% more just to get what I paid for in the first instance.
Taking it to the next level, since it is dangerous game, is the tip meant to cover the danger involved. Should my PH be less willing to back me up or shoot to stop an elephant, Buffalo or Lion charge if he or she knows I do not plan to tip $10K? Again, that is a ridiculous proposition.
Hunting is very expensive. I realize that running a hunting camp is also an expensive proposition as I have been to a few places and have a pretty good idea of what it costs. I have come to believe that in too many cases, the outfitters have come to rely upon the hunter and tips the hunter leaves to substitute for the appropriate wages that the outfitter should pay the staff. I for one pay particular attention to that issue when evaluating trips as I think it can be a very good but subtle insight into he type of operation that the outfitter runs.
I am by no means cheap and I enjoy the reaction that tip derives for a camp staff member. But I loath the expectation of a certain percentage tip based on the cost of the hunt - I personally, and again with due respect to those of you who do tip based on the cost of the hunt, just do not see why the cost of the trophy fee should have anything to do with the service I get in camp, by the trackers, skinners and most certainly the PH.
As I said in the beginning, this is an important topic and it is one that I highly recommend everyone addressing with the outfitter/PH before the hunt. I know and agree that it is, or should I more appropriately say it should be, the personal discretion of the individual hunter but he reality of the modern safari camp is that it is not just between the hunter and the person receiving the tip. Too often it is the next hunter or group of hunters effected by what tip is given at the end of the hunt and the expectations should be very clear from the start. If the service then turns out to be better than expected or someone went over and above expectations, I usually make sure I have an appropriate personal gift to give in recognition of the extra personal effort.
Cash is what many of the staff need and that should be the basic tip. For exceptional service above what is contacted and paid for, I find a personal gesture much more rewarding to me, welcome by the recipient and it does not usually alter the mood of the camp.
A difficult topic and as usual, the forum members of AH have shared varying opinions with dignity and respect for each other and continue to make this one of the best and most informative hunting forums on the net.
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