Tipping Guide

[echosue]

 

[SteveConroy84]

Great information. Thanks.

 

[Michael Dean]

The writer suggests tipping 4-8% of the total cost of the hunt. I'm having a problem with this math. This fall I'm going to take a ten day managment hunt. THe total cost of the hunt is $3,700. If I follow the writers suggested tipping allowance the PH will only get $200-$300 dollars. If I tip at a 10% rate he would get a percentage of $370.00. It doesn't seem right to use a PH for 10 days and only pay him $300-$350.

I was thinking of paying the PH $400.00 and then tipping the rest of the help a percentage of the 10%. WHat do you think is fare to pay a PH for ten days hunting as well as paying the skinner the tracker and the driver as well as the camp help? 5% to 8% of $3,700 just seems to low.

 

[Cam Moon]

The writer suggests tipping 4-8% of the total cost of the hunt. I'm having a problem with this math. This fall I'm going to take a ten day managment hunt. THe total cost of the hunt is $3,700. If I follow the writers suggested tipping allowance the PH will only get $200-$300 dollars. If I tip at a 10% rate he would get a percentage of $370.00. It doesn't seem right to use a PH for 10 days and only pay him $300-$350.

I was thinking of paying the PH $400.00 and then tipping the rest of the help a percentage of the 10%. WHat do you think is fare to pay a PH for ten days hunting as well as paying the skinner the tracker and the driver as well as the camp help? 5% to 8% of $3,700 just seems to low.

I think it's great that you are preparing ahead of time and including it in your budget. Very smart and proactive! However, this is still prior to your Safari, do in my mind I wonder how can you truly know how much you will want to tip afterwards? So here is what I personally think makes sense:
Budget on the high side! You are on a management hunth but what if your PH says he knows of an amazing animal with tons of character that would actually be a magnificent trophy for many (including yourself) and goes out of his way to have you get it!!?? And then continues with such outstanding service? Including your trackers, skinners, and the rest of the staff? You'd probably blow your tipping budget! BUT what if you receive less than you expected service wise? Be sure to remind yourself what you're tipping for, and give less! (IMO) But I also feel it's important to let them (whoever you felt was "substandard") know WHY your tip is a little on the light side and what they could do to improve. I feel this is really a win/win. It helps everybody. I think that pretending everything is fine, and then skirting away without a tip would just cause hard feelings. But please keep in mind, that this is just my opinion. Cheers!

 

[jeff]

The writer suggests tipping 4-8% of the total cost of the hunt. I'm having a problem with this math. This fall I'm going to take a ten day managment hunt. THe total cost of the hunt is $3,700. If I follow the writers suggested tipping allowance the PH will only get $200-$300 dollars. If I tip at a 10% rate he would get a percentage of $370.00. It doesn't seem right to use a PH for 10 days and only pay him $300-$350.

I was thinking of paying the PH $400.00 and then tipping the rest of the help a percentage of the 10%. WHat do you think is fare to pay a PH for ten days hunting as well as paying the skinner the tracker and the driver as well as the camp help? 5% to 8% of $3,700 just seems to low.

You really won't know how much to tip until the hunt is over, that's when you know of the effort and service that you were provided. I also think you may be looking at it wrong, you are not paying your PHs wages, his employer is doing that, you are just giving him a tip for appreciation of his effort and service!

 

[Speedster]

Michael Dean, the rep for my outfitter for my upcoming hunt recommended $35 a day to the PH for a 10 day hunt. So a total of $350 is in line with the 4 t0 8%. But as always, tip what you think is deserved.

 

[Red Leg]

I am sorry, but might I point out that snide remarks accomplish nothing! Respectful comments are appreciated by all however. But perhaps you are simply attempting to be funny and it fell flat? Hard to tell.

Thank you for the comment @echosue. I assure you that I was not attempting to be funny at all.

 

[echosue]

Thank you for the comment @echosue. I assure you that I was not attempting to be funny at all.

Well, I applaud your honesty! I hope you were not upset by my comment. I have been on sites where folks were not particularly nice to each other and it struck a cord. However, perhaps there are things I do not know involved and that is your business. Regards, kudugirl aka echo.sue!

 

[TXhunter65]

This is just my opinion and with it and a bus pass I could get on the bus. Let me preface by saying I’m not familiar with tipping cultures in other countries so that of which I speak is only relative to my experiences.

Let’s say I go out to eat at a nice restaurant with my wife and we have a wonder waiter/waitress that provides phenomenal service for the hour to two hour meal. Our bill comes and it’s $75. I wouldn’t hesitate to tip $15-20 maybe more.

The last time I was in Africa I was with an amazing outfitter and don’t believe I could have had a better PH. This gentleman was with me everyday from 5:30am to about 9:00pm almost non stop. That’s 15.5 hours a day for 10 days.

My safari was a little over $8000. I tipped much more than 10% and didn't hesitate given the shear amount of time he dedicated to me and the level of service he provided. So tipping 10-20% did not feel foreign or unwarranted just because of the size of the sum. Sometimes I think we pause when we look at the amount of the tip and don’t consider the perspective of the actual amount of work over a several day period these men and women put in on our behalf.

I understand each Safari is different and our own experiences, cultural influences, and individual beliefs guide us all in different ways. This is just my perspective of monetarily compensating someone providing a service and putting forth an effort to ensure, in most cases, you’ll have an experience you’ll remember for the rest of your life and creating a story you’ll retell to countless people the remainder of your days.

 

[Michael Dean]

I think it's great that you are preparing ahead of time and including it in your budget. Very smart and proactive! However, this is still prior to your Safari, do in my mind I wonder how can you truly know how much you will want to tip afterwards? So here is what I personally think makes sense:
Budget on the high side! You are on a management hunth but what if your PH says he knows of an amazing animal with tons of character that would actually be a magnificent trophy for many (including yourself) and goes out of his way to have you get it!!?? And then continues with such outstanding service? Including your trackers, skinners, and the rest of the staff? You'd probably blow your tipping budget! BUT what if you receive less than you expected service wise? Be sure to remind yourself what you're tipping for, and give less! (IMO) But I also feel it's important to let them (whoever you felt was "substandard") know WHY your tip is a little on the light side and what they could do to improve. I feel this is really a win/win. It helps everybody. I think that pretending everything is fine, and then skirting away without a tip would just cause hard feelings. But please keep in mind, that this is just my opinion. Cheers!

I agree with you completely regarding your comments as to tipping. What I'm doing is simply setting up ballpark numbers so I have some Idea as to how much cash I'm going to bring. All things being equal there are limits as to how much I'll tip. I've just set highs and lows to get a better appreciation for where I stand. As you mentioned, I'm budgeting on the high side just to be safe. I hope I'm so satisfied that I use all the tip money, we'll see.

 

[JDMonson]

30 pages of posts have taken me a couple nights to sift through but its been great reading all of the comments. So as my wife and I are getting our budgets and savings in line for a trip the summer I need a little clarification. We will be hunting together for the whole trip with our PH will we be tipping as 1 hunter or 2? If it is the case that we should tip as 2 that's going to take 1 or more animals off of our list of targets. Just looking for some guidance.

Thanks

 

[brandondd24]

30 pages of posts have taken me a couple nights to sift through but its been great reading all of the comments. So as my wife and I are getting our budgets and savings in line for a trip the summer I need a little clarification. We will be hunting together for the whole trip with our PH will we be tipping as 1 hunter or 2? If it is the case that we should tip as 2 that's going to take 1 or more animals off of our list of targets. Just looking for some guidance.

Thanks

2017 hunted 2-1 with a buddy, I gave my tip he gave his, so guess this don’t help! Lol

 

[brandondd24]

See your from the buckeye, I’m in central Wisconsin, nice to see another cheesehead here!

 

[Hank2211]

30 pages of posts have taken me a couple nights to sift through but its been great reading all of the comments. So as my wife and I are getting our budgets and savings in line for a trip the summer I need a little clarification. We will be hunting together for the whole trip with our PH will we be tipping as 1 hunter or 2? If it is the case that we should tip as 2 that's going to take 1 or more animals off of our list of targets. Just looking for some guidance.

Thanks

If the second is your wife and you are sharing the same room, and there is only one PH, then you could get away with "one" tip, but more usual might be to gross up the tip a bit from what you'd leave if you were alone, but you don't have to come close to doubling it. Up to you, as always, but 1.25 - 1.5 times the regular tip, depending on the level of service and any individual requirements the second person might have had. No one should be expecting a "double" in such a case.

 

[Cam Moon]

If the second is your wife and you are sharing the same room, and there is only one PH, then you could get away with "one" tip, but more usual might be to gross up the tip a bit from what you'd leave if you were alone, but you don't have to come close to doubling it. Up to you, as always, but 1.25 - 1.5 times the regular tip, depending on the level of service and any individual requirements the second person might have had. No one should be expecting a "double" in such a case.

I totally agree! ✓

 

[Von S.]

I have been reading this for months and believe that the self proclaimed Africa hunting tipping mavens have pretty much well exhausted their fountain of splendiferousjy egotistically enhanced "do as I if you want to be in with the in crowd *.

I personally believe that many of the people who ask the questions here are doing so to just not be embarrassed when the end of the hunt draws near and tipping time approaches.

After all, does anyone really like to look like the poor stepchild?

Does anyone here who is monied actually need someone else's advice on who to and how much to tip them?

I sure as hell did need anyone's advice here how to make my money in my lifetime and I'd be damned that unless they are stuffing money in my pocket now that I would accept their snobbish ramblings as the only truth there is.

So maybe people need to put things into perspective before THEY decide what to throw out of their wallet.

(1) No matter how much money you have, you are not obligated to enrich the poor of the world.

(2) when you go to a dinner for a meal do you go into the kitchen and tip the cooks? The dishwasher? The cashier? The guy who washed the windows? The manager?

(3) When you play a round of golf you get a caddy who gets paid through the club who bills you. Do you tip the caddy who hands you your putter when your 60 yards from the Green?...or is on the cell phone the whole round?

(4) when you go on a cruise do you tip the guy why steers the ship or sits in the engine room? Do you tip the chefs? Tip the guy who paints the ship?

(5) And though I didn't think it possible I watched a guy who didn't shoot anything get brow beaten into tipping 4 Skinner's who skinned nothing for him. Would you?

Tipping is a very old custom in Africa. At one time only the very rich could afford to travel and hunt there. Agreements were made with tribal chiefs to get Skinner's, bearers, and such and the head man got paid. To keep the natives from walking off they would be given things as tips.

But do some of the people who work with you on your hunt deserve some of your hard earned loot?

I would say yes! When I was younger I went footstep for footstep with a tracker who insisted on carrying my rifle and he about ran me ragged. He trotted me for about ,4 hours straight and when he handed me my rifle we were about 30 yards from Target.

I have known ph's who were absolutely fantastic and did everything but carry the hunter to where he needed to be. I had one come to my room with a bottle and 2 glasses and cleverly asked if I was a shooter.When I said yes he said thank God and that in the 2 previous weeks his last two hunters couldn't hit a buffalo in the ass with a broom and that he was now almost out of ammo.

He did find game and said a few times that here were bigger ones to shoot and we went there and scored.

So there are those who do deserve something extra, but that amount is really up to you.

And for piss poor service don't be afraid to speak up to the outfitters and not tip at all.

 

[BRICKBURN]

This thread always demonstrates the difference between cultures across the world.

 

[Red Leg]

If the second is your wife and you are sharing the same room, and there is only one PH, then you could get away with "one" tip, but more usual might be to gross up the tip a bit from what you'd leave if you were alone, but you don't have to come close to doubling it. Up to you, as always, but 1.25 - 1.5 times the regular tip, depending on the level of service and any individual requirements the second person might have had. No one should be expecting a "double" in such a case.

Absolutely agree.

 

[Hank2211]

I have been reading this for months and believe that the self proclaimed Africa hunting tipping mavens have pretty much well exhausted their fountain of splendiferousjy egotistically enhanced "do as I if you want to be in with the in crowd *.

I personally believe that many of the people who ask the questions here are doing so to just not be embarrassed when the end of the hunt draws near and tipping time approaches.

After all, does anyone really like to look like the poor stepchild?

Does anyone here who is monied actually need someone else's advice on who to and how much to tip them?

I sure as hell did need anyone's advice here how to make my money in my lifetime and I'd be damned that unless they are stuffing money in my pocket now that I would accept their snobbish ramblings as the only truth there is.

So maybe people need to put things into perspective before THEY decide what to throw out of their wallet.

(1) No matter how much money you have, you are not obligated to enrich the poor of the world.

(2) when you go to a dinner for a meal do you go into the kitchen and tip the cooks? The dishwasher? The cashier? The guy who washed the windows? The manager?

(3) When you play a round of golf you get a caddy who gets paid through the club who bills you. Do you tip the caddy who hands you your putter when your 60 yards from the Green?...or is on the cell phone the whole round?

(4) when you go on a cruise do you tip the guy why steers the ship or sits in the engine room? Do you tip the chefs? Tip the guy who paints the ship?

(5) And though I didn't think it possible I watched a guy who didn't shoot anything get brow beaten into tipping 4 Skinner's who skinned nothing for him. Would you?

Tipping is a very old custom in Africa. At one time only the very rich could afford to travel and hunt there. Agreements were made with tribal chiefs to get Skinner's, bearers, and such and the head man got paid. To keep the natives from walking off they would be given things as tips.

But do some of the people who work with you on your hunt deserve some of your hard earned loot?

I would say yes! When I was younger I went footstep for footstep with a tracker who insisted on carrying my rifle and he about ran me ragged. He trotted me for about ,4 hours straight and when he handed me my rifle we were about 30 yards from Target.

I have known ph's who were absolutely fantastic and did everything but carry the hunter to where he needed to be. I had one come to my room with a bottle and 2 glasses and cleverly asked if I was a shooter.When I said yes he said thank God and that in the 2 previous weeks his last two hunters couldn't hit a buffalo in the ass with a broom and that he was now almost out of ammo.

He did find game and said a few times that here were bigger ones to shoot and we went there and scored.

So there are those who do deserve something extra, but that amount is really up to you.

And for piss poor service don't be afraid to speak up to the outfitters and not tip at all.

I thought about letting this one go, and then, oh what the heck.

If you'd have split your post into two parts, you'd have been on to something.

The first part, which I'll call "the rant", seems to indicate some deep seated issues with people who might just have more money than you do. As well as those who certainly have a lot less. Or those who are "in". It's hard to tell. I'm not sure how you've managed to tie personal wealth or "enhanced egos" with views on tipping as expressed in this thread, but you seem to have accomplished it. Or maybe just assumed it. But for a very small number, virtually every post on this thread, other than those asking for advice, has been made with one thought in mind - trying to help those who have asked for help. Advice is just that, it's certainly not a rule, and very few to none of the posters have taken the attitude that they know best in every situation. They can only tell you what they've seen, or what they've done in their particular circumstances. Personally, I find that helpful. If you don't, well, you know best.

The second part of your post, which I'll call the "rational part" (and I include the last statement in that description), makes sense but, of course, it isn't at all helpful. You say that for those "who deserve something extra", give it to them, "but the amount is really up to you." Well, of course it is. But what people are asking for is exactly that - what is a reasonable amount in various circumstances? You've just told them to tip if they're happy. I really think we all already know that. What we want to know is how much. That's what those with some experience have tried to help with. And I hope they continue to do so, notwithstanding the rant.

 

[Von S.]

Hank,

Though I do my best to hide it I'm actually pretty well heeled in the loot department, and should I wish I could take extended hunts that few could do.

We have over 40 thousand members at this site, but last year less than 18'000 people world wide traveled to Africa to hunt.

Many people here may never in their lifetime ever have enough loot saved up to ever make it there to hunt, but to add injury to that when we have members who pile on what they believe is an obligation for everyone to tip gets on my nerves a bit.

Many a guy here is excited that he finally got himself a big boy caliber finally and someone will put the sharp stick in his eye that his boomer Remington isn't up to the task which i believe has caused some guys to never post here again which is sad as I do enjoy reports of their evolutions.

Anyway....read into it as you see fit.....