Loving it and I just must vent my spleen here.

Tophet your last post sums it up nicely and I am a buddy in arms with my kiwi collegue von gruff. While I have huge respect for our American and Canadian hunting friends and get a great kick out of their sharing their experiences and knowledge with us, the abomination of tipping that seems to have developed in their cultures and carried over to other countries (thankfully not Oz or NZ) is a blight that has done more damage than good.

Everyone deserves to be paid a proper wage for the work they do and I am the first to pay for the service I want. I'm willing to pay more for a better service as I am willing to pay more for a good rifle or any other equipment I buy. If the service or goods are poor I won't use or buy them again. Word of mouth and references will weed out the cowboys so you should easily be able to get and pay properly for the service or goods.
I get tired of hearing how the "lowly" workers do not get their share. That is an indictment on the employers and or agents and they need to get their bloody act together and pay fair and proper wages and charge clients accordingly to make a fair profit on the venture. Humanity anywhere shouldn't be subject to the degrading custom of putting their hands out for tips like dogs being thrown a few scraps.

PHs don't play on the BS that you are up at 4 in the morning and tirelessly working all day for the client for bugger all. There are plenty of people in the world who work longer and harder than you do, many at jobs that they do not get much enjoyment from but it is a job they need to support a family. The situation is not going to get any better for you or your staff while tipping is still allowed and encouraged. Charge a fair wage, pay a fair wage and get on with it. Don't beg.

And yes in my younger days I have guided and taken overseas people out hunting here in NZ, not as a business, but taken time off work and spent my own money, because I love hunting and sharing this with others. This was reciprocated to me (not the same people) when spending a year in Germany where everyone to a person invited me to share their hunting areas, their food, their drink and their friendship with insistence of no reimbursement.

There, the carpet is covered in blood, but I've got it of my chest.

Cheers to all.