What would you do? Need opinions.

[Rooster22]

So I'm in South Alabama on a hunting with an outfitter. I have yet to even see a deer let alone shoot one. Before I arrived there was no talk about money beyond what they typically charge. In the cabin I'm staying in there is a sign on the wall that say there is a mandatory 15% gratuity for guiding. I am in no way trying to be cheap, but I wish this had been voiced beforehand. 15% on a $775 hunt in which I've seen nothing but 2 turkeys yesterday morning seems a bit steep. The guide has been very hospitable and they're very nice people. They need to do their homework on their own property a lot more though. They sent me out to a stand at 5:00am this morning and I came to the creek they told me was 5 feet across and 3-4 inches deep. Well given the massive amount of rain they had here on Monday everything flooded and said creek is now 3 feet deep and 30 yards across. I called them and they picked me up and took me back to the stand I sat on last night where I again saw nothing.

I guess what I'd like to know is if anybody else would pay that amount given the circumstances. Sorry for the long winded post. I'm just kind of stuck on what to do and all opinions are appreciated.

 

[bobbuck]

Some of the largest tips I have given a guide have been on unsuccessful(nothing killed) trips. However,
if you feel they have not done their homework that's a different story. A mandatory tips is not a tip that's is a charge and it definitely should have been disclosed up front. I would discuss with the owner and explain to him that you were not aware of any additional charge above the $775.00. My question to you is did you plan to give a tip if the hunt went as planned?

 

[agelesssone]

That really sucks and, yes, they should know their property better it sounds like they do.
And I would have to tell them "no" on their gratuity.
I'm a fishing guide on a lake near Nashville. Gratuities are appreciated but never mentioned. I've had people tip 30% that only caught one fish and people who tipped 0% after they had caught triple limits or more.
So, say no to the gratuity since it wasn't in the original agreement.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[MUP]

I'd voice my concerns with them right away. Cut the hunt short if need be, and post up the guide service for us all to view.

 

[Rollo]

I think your outfitter needs to look up the word "gratuity"...
noun, plural gratuities.
1.
a gift of money, over and above payment due for service, as to a waiter or bellhop; tip.
2.
something given without claim or demand.

or change the sign in the cabin to "service fee".

 

[Rooster22]

I appreciate the input guys. I'm beginning to feel like I've been sold a fake Bill of goods as I was sent all these trail cam pics of deer and haven't even seen a single deer.

I'm in the stand for the evening now and will talk to the owner when I get back. Thanks

 

[Boll Weevil]

No tip in my opinion...Rollo nailed it when he posted the definition.

 

[Buzzard Breath]

I'll be honest and it may not be what you want to hear. It's the hunter's responsibility to do their due diligence and check references. Someone going into a hunt should already have an idea what they are in for. You need to check the references from both successful hunters and unsuccessful hunters. If you failed to due this, then you've been had and have no recourse. If you checked the references and it was not what you expected, then the outfitter may be having a bad week.

As for the tip, what does your contract say? If your contract says a 15% tip is mandatory, then you must pay it. If you didn't sign a contract, I have no idea what you are required to do. I would think you wouldn't have to pay it if you've got something in writing stating the original price. Although, the guide may not be getting paid by the outfitter outside of the tips. If your guide has done a good job, I'd tip him accordingly. He can't control the weather or what the outfitter does. He can only make the most of the situation.

 

[Rooster22]

I'll be honest and it may not be what you want to hear. It's the hunter's responsibility to do their due diligence and check references. Someone going into a hunt should already have an idea what they are in for. You need to check the references from both successful hunters and unsuccessful hunters. If you failed to due this, then you've been had and have no recourse. If you checked the references and it was not what you expected, then the outfitter may be having a bad week.

As for the tip, what does your contract say? If your contract says a 15% tip is mandatory, then you must pay it. If you didn't sign a contract, I have no idea what you are required to do. I would think you wouldn't have to pay it if you've got something in writing stating the original price. Although, the guide may not be getting paid by the outfitter outside of the tips. If your guide has done a good job, I'd tip him accordingly. He can't control the weather or what the outfitter does. He can only make the most of the situation.

I know that you can't control deer and such and am not letting that factor into my decision. I don't have a contract with him and the fact that it was never stated before I drove 4 hours down here to hunt is the part I'm having a hard time with. The guide is his best friend and I don't know the pay situation so I'm trying to consider that too.

I talked to a couple people that have hunted with them before and they all had positive things to say about the outfit. I'm beginning to think the pictures he sent me of deer this year are in fact from other years as one of the bucks on his wall looks very much like the same buck he sent me a picture of with someone else in it

 

[Snake]

Not that I wouldn't pay the tip but I certainly would voice a concern since it was wasn't mentioned in the original fee . Deer this time of the year get into that nocturnal state of mind especially bucks so I would take that into consideration next time I booked a hunt . I realize this is an outfitter with minimal pressure but nevertheless not the best time of the year IMO . I would mention if you are not satisfied with the hunt and fee that word of mouth could hurt your business so paying the fee is a given but the tip is another thing . What is he going to do if you do not pay not having a contract ? Nothing !! Be a gentleman about it though your a Tennessean :D

 

[Roost 1]

Not that I wouldn't pay the tip but I certainly would voice a concern since it was wasn't mentioned in the original fee . Deer this time of the year get into that nocturnal state of mind especially bucks so I would take that into consideration next time I booked a hunt . I realize this is an outfitter with minimal pressure but nevertheless not the best time of the year IMO . I would mention if you are not satisfied with the hunt and fee that word of mouth could hurt your business so paying the fee is a given but the tip is another thing . What is he going to do if you do not pay not having a contract ? Nothing !! Be a gentleman about it though your a Tennessean :D

I think the rut should be on in AL at this time.

 

[beefydeer]

Don't tip based on results. Base your tip on how hard they work.

 

[REM7]

I guided 3 people on a farm of mine with full lodging and meals last week. They seen plenty of deer and the 3 guys killed 2 deer each and the wife of one killed her first deer ever. I worked my tail off with 3 am to 11pm daily. They didn't see the big bucks that the trail cams produced most mature bucks were nocturnal and it was very warm but they said it was best hunt they been on. I was honest and upfront with them about late season hunting in this area. After all said and done 4 days of hunting with storms and warm temps 7 deer killed, good food, and the camp camaraderie they tipped 20% and want to come next season. Im not a outfitter, just let my leased farm pay for itself. So my advice is to talk to the owner and tip what YOU think is deserved not required!

 

[Nsghunter]

Don't tip based on results. Base your tip on how hard they work.

This.

 

[arctic_cat]

Any updates? Did you talk to the owner last night?

 

[Hunter 257W]

Any business that has a mandatory tip don't get my business but once. As stated above, a Tip is voluntary for exceptional service. If you try to stick in onto the base charge and think I am too dumb to say anything, you are going to be surprised. For something like a paid hunt, I don't see why they need tips at all. If you're an outfitter, price your hunts such that you make the money you need to make from your base price.

 

[Winchester]

Agreed, tips should always be optional, Hence the definition! Any mandatory fee is NOT a tip.

 

[Nsghunter]

T.I.P. =
to
insure
promptness

 

[Snake]

Not that I wouldn't pay the tip but I certainly would voice a concern since it was wasn't mentioned in the original fee . Deer this time of the year get into that nocturnal state of mind especially bucks so I would take that into consideration next time I booked a hunt . I realize this is an outfitter with minimal pressure but nevertheless not the best time of the year IMO . I would mention if you are not satisfied with the hunt and fee that word of mouth could hurt your business so paying the fee is a given but the tip is another thing . What is he going to do if you do not pay not having a contract ? Nothing !! Be a gentleman about it though your a Tennessean :D

I think the rut should be on in AL at this time.

I understand and a hot doe would be about all that would get a buck up out of his bed . Like he said he's not seeing anything .

 

[bhud84]

What part of Alabama are you in? Im going to the family farm in mid January. Were in Chambers county around Auburn. The rut should be getting ready to kick off down there..

 

[cagleyss7]

I'm curious to see how this turns out, care to give let us know what the reaction was to your conversation with the owner?

 

[Rooster22]

So I wanted to give yall a quick update on how everything went.

I spoke with the owner Thursday night and he felt bad that I hadn't even seen a single deer and swore that the rest of the people that were there before me had killed at least a doe. He offered to have me come back the end of January or first of February for $300 off the 2 day hunt. I have considered it, but after a local guy came by the camp that night and told me that nobody nearby has killed any deer this year I believe I'll pass on coming back down here. There are a couple people in their Facebook page from December and before that killed does and 1 buck.

Overall they're very nice guys, but I cant feel any other way than they're not telling me the whole truth about everything. I was very nice when talking to the owner and told him that I appreciated the hospitality and I would let him know about coming back. They say they have 4300 acres yet a huge majority of it they clear cut 2 years ago and it bare as can be and they have 7 stands over food plots and those are the only places they allow hunting. I asked about moving to the woods since I wasn't seeing anything at the food plots and they didn't offer me anything other than another food plot. They are located in Goshen, AL just west of Troy. I booked the hunt for this time period as it was the recommendation from the owner to hit the beginning of the rut as its usually their best time of the year on their particular farm. Yet when talking to him about coming back he said the end of January first of February is the best time of the rut to be there.....

I tipped the guide who is the owners younger brother $50 for his time of driving me around and making lunch.

 

[smyrnagc]

Good job. You took the high road and did the honorable thing. I've hunted private property South of Montgomery for the last five years and we have hunted the 2nd and 3rd week of January. Sometimes we hit the rut but sometimes we miss it. What he told you about the last week of January, first week of February is pretty accurate, although we have seen it as early as the 2nd week in Abbyville which is not far from where you hunted.

 

[LanceS4803]

Interesting thread.
I want to do a couple of guided hunts, so this is all good info to know.

 

[TNDeerHunter270]

I just returned from south Alabama myself. We saw hundreds of deer and had no "outfitter". No offense but you should do your own scouting and all the other aspects of hunting for yourself. That way, the only person that can be held accountable for lack of success is yourself. In my opinion, the only time I would hire a guide/outfitter is in Alaska or somewhere else very remote. You seem to be more interested in just shooting a deer than hunting. Something to think about.

 

[Rooster22]

I just returned from south Alabama myself. We saw hundreds of deer and had no "outfitter". No offense but you should do your own scouting and all the other aspects of hunting for yourself. That way, the only person that can be held accountable for lack of success is yourself. In my opinion, the only time I would hire a guide/outfitter is in Alaska or somewhere else very remote. You seem to be more interested in just shooting a deer than hunting. Something to think about.

The whole reason I used the outfitter is because I've never hunted in Alabama other than waterfowl and having someone that knows the lay of the land and possibly have the deer patterned to where me going in blind isn't as bad seemed like a good idea.

Yes I was more concerned with shooting a deer than hunting as I've hunted a lot this year and don't have any meat in the freezer other than 6 ducks and a handful of squirrels. So yes, shooting a deer was a big priority for me

 

[Pic IN the Casa]

Went on a guided duck hunt years back. They advertised cooked meal at blind. Hardly any birds flying that day but not the outfitters fault. So our cooked meal was a tub of store bought potato salad and a couple of those bagged roasted chickens you see at the grocery store deli. They were cold (as if bought the night before).
The guide told us he would call shots but the one bird that worked actually landed in the decoys. The guide shouted "well hell shoot it".
One of our guys told him we'd hit the decoys but he said SHOOT.
A guy or two shot the duck and peppered a couple of dekes.
At the end of the hunt when we settled up the owner showed up and talked to the guide for a while. Then he told us thanks and be sure to tip your guide... especially since you killed two of our decoys.
That rubbed me the wrong way but I did give the guy a tip.

 

[WRbowhunter]

I think the rut is all over the place in Alabama. Just depends on the area of the state and then the county. I'm going north of Montgomery in Coosa county end of January first of February. Hope things will be busting loose about that time. Sorry about your bad time with the outfitter. I guess even with paying for a hunt if the deer don't move the deer don't move