Tipping Guide

[James Sexton]

To me tipping is as simple as what said hunter can afford. On my trip I tipped my PH. Was it as much as other hunters? No. But I tipped what I could afford. My PH did an outstanding job and was deserving of the tip.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

I am a good tipper and don't have a problem with tipping. However, I recently read a few "anti-tipping" articles that have caused me to re-think. The link to the second articles talks about replacing tipping with a 18% service charge. I went to the Bahamas a few years ago and the entire place operates that way and the service was terrible.

https://slate.com/business/2013/07/...ad-for-servers-customers-and-restaurants.html

https://slate.com/human-interest/20...y-abolishing-tipping-made-service-better.html

 

[Dean2]

375 R

I isn't just the Bahamas. Minimum wage in Australia is $25 an hour, there is no tipping and it is not part of the culture. Despite the high wages the service was friendly but truly sucks in a very high number of all establishments, restaurants, hotels, retail outlets even gas stations. If you read the Google reviews you could find the places that actually had good service, it was almost always the first comment.

Adding a fixed percentage to the meal cost just means that if you order the more expensive dishes you pay a higher surcharge. It is no more work to cook a steak than a burger, nor is one more work to serve. Burger costs ten bucks, steak is 30. Why does one get triple the tip?

I am still a fan of, put everything into the price of the trip, meal whatever. I decide if I can afford the cost, you decide if you can make enough money to do the work, pay your staff, cover your overhead. I use your services once, if the service or product sucks, I don't come back and I post a bad review.

 

[Red Leg]

I am a good tipper and don't have a problem with tipping. However, I recently read a few "anti-tipping" articles that have caused me to re-think. The link to the second articles talks about replacing tipping with a 18% service charge. I went to the Bahamas a few years ago and the entire place operates that way and the service was terrible.

https://slate.com/business/2013/07/...ad-for-servers-customers-and-restaurants.html

https://slate.com/human-interest/20...y-abolishing-tipping-made-service-better.html

Not surprised - and suspect you aren't either. In those environments, no one is trying to work harder for an acknowledgement of their service.

I try to tip generously. Our regular bar tenders and servers are thrilled to see us - we are rarely charged for a second drink, or an entree often seems to disappear from the tab. When I return to hunt with an outfitter, PH and staff seem to throw themselves into the effort all the harder. Sure, if someone is a jerk or incompetent or both then they don't deserve much - but frankly, that rarely ever seems to happen to me.

An acquaintance, who always seems to have a some problem on a hunt, criticized me for what he perceived an "excessive" tip. He ended his soliloquy by observing I was just "buying" good service. I prefer to think of it as "rewarding" such service - but, well yes, I guess I am.

 

[Dean2]

I try to tip generously. Our regular bar tenders and servers are thrilled to see us - we are rarely charged for a second drink, or an entree often seems to disappear from the tab. .

So you are okay with the server shorting the restaurant the cost of the second drink or an entree to ensure they can pocket a fat tip. In my books that is stealing. Just one more thing wrong with tipping that I hadn't thought about before. I won't post further as I doubt any of us are goingto change the other's mind.

 

[Red Leg]

Absolutely @Dean2 . And you should get out more before accusing me or a server of theft. Most good restaurants (at least in the parts of the US I have called home) allow their better and longer serving bar tenders and servers to do exactly that. Keeps good clientele returning. As I noted, we are regulars at those places.

 

[TTundra]

You're stuck between a rock and a hard place; the owners are not paying a fair wage and the employees depend on tips to substitute their earnings. It's gotten pathetic to the point where the owners actually tell clients what they should tip. I have no problem tipping but find it insulting when I'm told what an expected tip should be. My trip this year is a cull hunt so my total cost is relatively inexpensive. By using the percentages provided in this thread my total cost for tips is nominal. I've decided not to use the suggested guidelines and tip according to the service I receive. In short, my PH will be tipped based upon his performance If he gives 110% his tip will reflect it. If he simply goes through the motions his tip will be nominal at best.
If I tipped according to percentage guidelines he'd receive $250-$275. I don't think he'd be happy with $250 for a nine day hunt. That's based on 7% of the total cost of the hunt.

If you're hunting at an operation where you know the PH's are vastly underpaid and they make you known about this or the owners do, and then tell you what a tip should be, you need to re think where you are paying to hunt. Money has yet to come up with the PH's I've hunted with as their passion has shown to be superior, bordering and sometimes even obsessive in nature.

I've only taken two trips over to hunt, but Ive hunted with a total of 6 different PH's in the various concessions. My outfitter/PH always being present usually with one if his apprentices, but then a PH for that area as well. I've inquired about many facets of Africa hunting while in the back of the truck with all if them and tipping always comes up. All have said they will try as hard as possible to get you the best specimen possible, never bringing up the tip itself, but rather an answer to my presenting said topic.


Let your PH know what you're after and they'll strive for it....but tell your PH numerous and various requirements for a cull hunt and you'll be 'pegged' from the start as one of 'those guys'. I'd this is your first hunt, take it in with an open mind.

 

[Dewald]

Not to start an argument, but just how hard does the PH have to work on a "Cull Hunt". Basically any animal of the species will do, you aren't having to hunt hard to find that great specimen a guy wants for his wall. What would a PH be able to do that would warrant a tip.

I have done a few cull hunts, I don't take the meat, hide or horns so this is all available to be sold by the PH/outfitter. In reality the Skinner isn't really working for me, he is doing the work to benefit the outfitter. They sell the cape and skins to taxidermy shops to replace ones that may have been damaged on trophy animals, the meat gets sold for between 10 and 100 Rand a pound to a butcher shop or restaurant. A cull Zebra skin can be made into a throw rug and still has significant value. Most cull prices are at least 100% more than what the outfitter is paying the farm for the animal.

Like I said, not trying to start an argument but this tipping stuff has gotten right out of hand. The minimum wage in SA is 100 Rand a day, same wage for working in a field or working on a hunting party. Despite such low wages unemployment is over 50%, so even these relatively low paying jobs have a long list of people looking to do them. The PH typically earn about $250 a day for plains game. To suggest the hunter tip basically 100% of the basic pay rate for a skinner,driver or maid is plain and simply abuse. I agree with a bunch of the other posters on here, it is not the hunters job to make up for the poor pay that the outfitters supply for the PH, Skinners, camp staff etc. We already have nearly mandatory tipping with the "Suggested" tip amounts, except that most Europeans don't fall for it. The more we buy into this the worse it will continue to get.

Last hunt I booked I told the outfitters I was considering up front that I was raised in Europe, didn't believe in tipping and I was not going to tip anybody. He needed to quote me a price high enough to pay all his staff fairly based on what I paid him. I then picked the outfitter based on deal and amenities, reputation etc. Any outfitter that even pushed back a little at this I tossed from the consideration pile right away. I saw zero difference in the hunt provided and the day rate, animal fees etc were exactly the same as what was on their website.

Dean, it is entirely up to you to tip or not. Personally I have never expected tips, nor do I feel I deserve them, but I do appreciate the gesture when someone does tip.

Where you are completely wrong is with every single figure you qoute, from the price of meat to minimum wage, and especially the PHs day rate.

To think an outfitter will pay his staff “fairly” as you state, based on you ordering him to qoute you accordingly is laughable.

 

[TTundra]

Where you are completely wrong is with every single figure you qoute, from the price of meat to minimum wage, and especially the PHs day rate.
.

@Dewald for curiosity sake, can you provide more accurate numbers as I find that to he very interesting information

 

[Dean2]

Dean, it is entirely up to you to tip or not. Personally I have never expected tips, nor do I feel I deserve them, but I do appreciate the gesture when someone does tip.

Where you are completely wrong is with every single figure you qoute, from the price of meat to minimum wage, and especially the PHs day rate.

To think an outfitter will pay his staff “fairly” as you state, based on you ordering him to qoute you accordingly is laughable.

I was going off of what I was told by more than a few people in SA. You live there you should know better than I but just out of curiosity I looked up SA minimum wage. Apparently these guys, and the other sites I found are wrong too, according to you. Based on the info below, domestic and farm workers earn just over $100 U.S. a month, yet the often recommended tip of $10/day on a ten day hunt for a Skinner works out to about the same as the total monthly wage. Even at the higher min wage quoted of $180 a month the commonly recommended tip of $10 a day works out to more than 1/2 a months salary. If I am wrong I am open to being corrected.

South Africa Minimum Wage Rate 2019
Appx. Yearly Minimum Wage
$2,471.00 USD
Rank by Min. Wage
68 / 197
Gross National Product
$116,729.00 USD

What is the South Africa Minimum Wage?

South Africa's minimum wage rate is not mandatory,but a recommended minimum wage in private sector is 2,474 rand per month except domestic and farm works' wages which is recommended at 1,500 rand per month. South Africa's minimum wage was last changed in 1-Jan-2013.

How does South Africa's minimum wage compare to the minimum wage in other countries?
South Africa's yearly minimum wage is $2,471.00 in International Currency. International Currency is a measure of currency based on the value of the United States dollar in 2009. There are 68 countries with a higher Minimum Wage then South Africa, and South Africa is in the top 35 percent of all countries based on the yearly minimum wage rate.

Facts and statistics about South Africa
South Africa is a country located in the Southern Africa region with a population of 40,377,000 and an average life span of 51.1 years.

As far as me "Ordering" him to pay his staff fairly, you misunderstand what I was getting at. Realistically, I don't care one bit what he pays his staff. If they will work for the wages he pays, good by me. What I was trying to get across was I have no intention of augmenting his pay scale through tips. Pay is strictly between him and his staff.

 

[Red Leg]

I mentioned this earlier on, but it is still a good analogy, at least with this sporting congregation. I like offshore fishing almost as much as chasing buffalo. Go charter a boat in Hatteras, Costa Rica, Bermuda, Key West, anywhere I have ever been, to spend a day chasing tuna, sails, whatever. The mate is typically working his or her butt off largely, or more likely, only for the tip. In high tourist areas, I assume where Canadians, Europeans, and even Yankees may show up , the Captain or owner will have a sign posted at the boat or prominently in the brochure to remind the non-tipping cultures, that the sport fishing "culture" is different than a gausthaus in Wurzburg or a diner in Edmonton. 15% is typical. That is the simple economics of the charter fishing industry - at least in the locales I have fished. I have no issue extending that same sort of courtesy to a PH and staff on a big game hunt. I even tip my guides in Canada - not one to date has refused it or seemed remotely unappreciative.

 

[BRICKBURN]

........... I even tip my guides in Canada - not one to date has refused it or seemed remotely unappreciative.

If you get an unappreciative Canadian they are an "illegal alien".

 

[Red Leg]

If you get an unappreciative Canadian they are an "illegal alien".

Saw that exact guy in "Captain Marvel" last night! (Not an entirely bad movie by the way)

 

[jeff]

I mentioned this earlier on, but it is still a good analogy, at least with this sporting congregation. I like offshore fishing almost as much as chasing buffalo. Go charter a boat in Hatteras, Costa Rica, Bermuda, Key West, anywhere I have ever been, to spend a day chasing tuna, sails, whatever. The mate is typically working his or her butt off largely, or more likely, only for the tip. In high tourist areas, I assume where Canadians, Europeans, and even Yankees may show up , the Captain or owner will have a sign posted at the boat or prominently in the brochure to remind the non-tipping cultures, that the sport fishing "culture" is different than a gausthaus in Wurzburg or a diner in Edmonton. 15% is typical. That is the simple economics of the charter fishing industry - at least in the locales I have fished. I have no issue extending that same sort of courtesy to a PH and staff on a big game hunt. I even tip my guides in Canada - not one to date has refused it or seemed remotely unappreciative.

I hope the culture of only working for tips doesn't spread and africa follow suit. I always tip, but it just that, a tip for appreciation , not a big payout of cash because it's expected.

 

[Michael Dean]

Not to start an argument, but just how hard does the PH have to work on a "Cull Hunt". Basically any animal of the species will do, you aren't having to hunt hard to find that great specimen a guy wants for his wall. What would a PH be able to do that would warrant a tip.

I have done a few cull hunts, I don't take the meat, hide or horns so this is all available to be sold by the PH/outfitter. In reality the Skinner isn't really working for me, he is doing the work to benefit the outfitter. They sell the cape and skins to taxidermy shops to replace ones that may have been damaged on trophy animals, the meat gets sold for between 10 and 100 Rand a pound to a butcher shop or restaurant. A cull Zebra skin can be made into a throw rug and still has significant value. Most cull prices are at least 100% more than what the outfitter is paying the farm for the animal.

Like I said, not trying to start an argument but this tipping stuff has gotten right out of hand. The minimum wage in SA is 100 Rand a day, same wage for working in a field or working on a hunting party. Despite such low wages unemployment is over 50%, so even these relatively low paying jobs have a long list of people looking to do them. The PH typically earn about $250 a day for plains game. To suggest the hunter tip basically 100% of the basic pay rate for a skinner,driver or maid is plain and simply abuse. I agree with a bunch of the other posters on here, it is not the hunters job to make up for the poor pay that the outfitters supply for the PH, Skinners, camp staff etc. We already have nearly mandatory tipping with the "Suggested" tip amounts, except that most Europeans don't fall for it. The more we buy into this the worse it will continue to get.

Last hunt I booked I told the outfitters I was considering up front that I was raised in Europe, didn't believe in tipping and I was not going to tip anybody. He needed to quote me a price high enough to pay all his staff fairly based on what I paid him. I then picked the outfitter based on deal and amenities, reputation etc. Any outfitter that even pushed back a little at this I tossed from the consideration pile right away. I saw zero difference in the hunt provided and the day rate, animal fees etc were exactly the same as what was on their website.

The quoted post has caused me to rethink my approach regarding tipping. I'm going on a cull hunt in October and as such, the notion of tipping has to be reevaluated. It's a cull hunt, There's no incentive to tip for quality specimens because culls are for the most part, not quality specimens. In short, if my PH is not being tipped to find trophy specimens, what is he being tipped for? The only requirement I can think of is his obligation to put me in close proxcimity to the target animal. Other than that, what specifically will the PH do to deserve a tip?

I honestly can't think of any reason to tip. He should have a positive attitude and make the hunt a pleasant experience but aside from coming up with a few quality jokes he really has no objective or goal in the hunt. I'm really going to have to rethink my whole position on tipping. Even the skinner, other than skinning the Zebra which will be mine, all of the other animals will be skinned for the benefit of the owner. If someone can give me a reason to tip generously I'd really like to hear it. I want my nine days to be a pleasant experience but that in itself is certainly no reason to tip.

 

[Rob404]

I read somewhere (maybe here) that a good tip for a PH is one days Daily Fee, which is what I did, now I don't know if that was enough but instead of being dumped off at the Terminal, my PH helped me carry my luggage and Rifle case to the ticket counter and when the ticket agent insisted that my Ammunition be packed separately he went ahead and got that taken care of while odessey with the counter person went on. After getting all checked thru we drank a few Windhoeks at the airport bar.
I'm not sure if the tip was a proper amount but It must have been because he keeps sending me invites to come back and hunt with him

 

[edward]

I read somewhere (maybe here) that a good tip for a PH is one days Daily Fee, which is what I did, now I don't know if that was enough but instead of being dumped off at the Terminal, my PH helped me carry my luggage and Rifle case to the ticket counter and when the ticket agent insisted that my Ammunition be packed separately he went ahead and got that taken care of while odessey with the counter person went on. After getting all checked thru we drank a few Windhoeks at the airport bar.
I'm not sure if the tip was a proper amount but It must have been because he keeps sending me invites to come back and hunt with him

maybe he just fingered you paid the price he charged,nothing more.

 

[Ridge Runner]

I was going off of what I was told by more than a few people in SA. You live there you should know better than I but just out of curiosity I looked up SA minimum wage. Apparently these guys, and the other sites I found are wrong too, according to you. Based on the info below, domestic and farm workers earn just over $100 U.S. a month, yet the often recommended tip of $10/day on a ten day hunt for a Skinner works out to about the same as the total monthly wage. Even at the higher min wage quoted of $180 a month the commonly recommended tip of $10 a day works out to more than 1/2 a months salary. If I am wrong I am open to being corrected.

As far as me "Ordering" him to pay his staff fairly, you misunderstand what I was getting at. Realistically, I don't care one bit what he pays his staff. If they will work for the wages he pays, good by me. What I was trying to get across was I have no intention of augmenting his pay scale through tips. Pay is strictly between him and his staff.

In 2018 while I was hunting in SA, I enquired about purchasing property, not necessarily a "farm", just a house and a few acres.

Long story short. I was offered the remaining land, historic house and out buildings, and worker residents/ homes, fishing/lake cottage and pretty much everything else currently on the property.

I asked about retaining the farm workers (8-10) ( I don't remember the exact number) to keep the remaining 10,000+/- acre farm properly maintained. I was told, by one of the partners, that by law minimum wage for each worker is R300.00 per week, and only required time off for the workers is for holidays. This equated to about $400.00 to $600.00 USD per month, total, in labor costs.

 

[Dewald]

Morning, sorry I was out hunting the weekend.

To give insight in some figures. Minimum wage is different in different sectors and over 2019 it will be implemented to R20/h. Currently domestic and agricultural workers earn R15 or R18 per hour.

Meat is generally sold as whole carcasses for R20-30/ kg for antilope. Zebra or giraffe will get you R10-12/kg and at most R15/kg. Unless the farm has a registered abattoir, selling to restaurants are not permitted. Very far from R10-100/ lbs.

A wet Zebra hide now gets you R250-300, if they take it, at a taxidermist. The market for them has flooded, as they are bulk grazers, and vast amounts were culled over the last few years of drought.

The average income for a plainsgame PH is R1000-15000 per day, given that you provide your own vehicle. Sometimes you provide your own fuel and sometimes the outfitter does. Obviously the Ph also has other daily expenses.
At the quoted figure of $250/day, or in other words R3450/day, I would give away my medical practice and only hunt. Many smaller outfitters would also not go through all the expenses to do the outfitting, but only PH at that rate.

Again, tipping is entirely up to the client, and I do not believe you should feel forced to tip, or prescribed how to tip.

I am aware of two instances where outfitters kept all the PH and staff tips, given to them to distribute, hence my feeling that tips should be given to the individual people, but again it is up to the client to do what he is comfortable with.

 

[BSO Dave]

I honestly can't think of any reason to tip.

How about as a gesture of appreciation for a great attitude, professionalism, exceptional service, and attention to detail...? Specific to the hunt, how about positive encouragement, patience, preparation, diligence in pursuit of your intended quarry, and the hours put in above and beyond what was expected? There are lots of reason to leave something extra for those that go out of their way at every opportunity to impress that have nothing to do with what ends up in the salt. You tip for the effort and quality of the experience, not for the results of the score card.