How much to tip the keeper

[Article updated May 2021]

Whether you’re new to shooting or have decades of experience under your belt, the question of how much to tip the keeper can be a nervous one. Naturally the tip should be an expression of your enjoyment of the day, an appreciation of the hard work and long hours that the keeper (and possibly his team) have put in over the year. But that doesn’t necessarily give that much of a guide on an actual figure. What’s more, external factors like the weather conditions on the day or the behaviour of one of your fellow guns could have had an impact on your enjoyment, which would be outside of the keeper’s control.

This may all seem like a bit of a trivial topic, but getting this right is more important than you think. First we must consider that keepers, though incredibly hard working, are not generally well paid, and on smaller shoots may even be volunteers, while on larger shoots the tip may need to be divvied up with the rest of the gamekeeping staff. Second, but no less importantly, we must avoid causing offence, either to the keeper themself, or your host for the day if you are a guest and your low-ball figure gets back to them. On a commercial shoot, if you get labelled as a poor tipper you may find that your attempt to rebook the following season goes ignored.

Is there a simple formula to calculate an appropriate keeper’s tip? 

Back in 2012 a GunsOnPegs survey suggested that a formula based on the number of birds in the bag at the end of the day was the preferred method. Back then the calculation was as follows:

• £10 per 50 birds for pheasant and partridge shooting.
• £40 per 25 brace of grouse

I was interested to know if that still holds true today, nearly a decade on, so I conducted a poll on social media. In doing so I opened something of a can of worms. Perhaps this is not surprising; tipping is a very personal - and, it turns out - thorny issue.

Before we get into the results of the poll, I thought it would be interesting to share a few of the comments that people left on the post. 

Tipping the keeper is a personal choice

Some objected to the question altogether, with one commenting:

Personally, I feel that this shouldn't be up for discussion, it is nothing to do with anyone what the tip is except between the keeper and the gun if they have had a nice day.

And another saying:

I don’t get this at all... Size of tip is completely up to the individual dependent on more than some formula. It depends on whether one is a guest or paying. Depends on the keeper himself going above and beyond or just a grumpy fellow. What if he’s tried his heart out and conditions are against him etc. Thought shooting was a Gentleman’s sport?

Is tipping the keeper compulsory?

Others felt that tipping the keeper, especially the pressure to tip in order to supplement the keeper’s income to a living wage, is an anachronism. “Why should a keeper be tipped? I don't get tipped for doing my job,” wrote one person, while another said: “Or keepers could just get valued for what they do and paid properly by their employers in the first place .... it’s like going to Waitrose and being expected to give the person on the checkout a £5 for their efforts…”, and a third person, clearly quite agitated, wrote: 

I wonder how many of us tip our bin men, tip your butcher, or if a tradesman comes to your house. A tip is given for service above what you would expect. Keepers moan about “it makes up my wages”: well, you chose that lifestyle, there are many earning a lot less than keepers. I don’t see farm hands getting tips. Tips have now become part of the cost of the day, it is no longer a thank you.

Why do we tip the keeper?

And this raises the question of what we are actually doing when we’re tipping. Many of the comments highlighted that a formula based on the size of the bag misses the point of the practice. As when we tip in a restaurant, the idea is that it is a “thank you” for an enjoyable experience and good service. Additionally, when tipping the keeper we are saying thank you for the long hours and the physical labour carried out throughout the year. In the comments people highlighted that a team’s inability to shoot shouldn’t have a negative impact on the keeper’s tip, with one saying:

Tips should be given for the quality and quantity of birds presented by the keeper. Not necessarily the number shot as if you can’t hit them, that’s not the keeper’s fault.

And another echoing this sentiment:

Tipping for bag size doesn’t always work, particularly if you’re on a high bird shoot, have had lots of testing shooting but the bag isn’t necessarily reflective of this.

Another commenter noted that one greedy gun can ruin a day for the rest of the team, at no fault of the keeper.

Tips shouldn't be on the amount of birds, they should be on the quality of birds and how good the day is, cos greedy guns will shoot the hell out of everything then tip accordingly but the other guns had a rubbish day 'cos of the greedy bugger, but they reached the bag

What criteria do people use when deciding how much to tip the keeper?

As to the criteria that people do use to judge their day, there’s another running theme in the comments. The quality of the birds, the organisation of the day, and the atmosphere are all-important. One comment reads: “I go by presentation of the birds first, attitude and 'tight ship' second, bag number only third.” Another commenter had a pretty long checklist:

I look for the attention to detail - like clean vehicles for the day (if provided by the shoot), gaps in hedges properly cut through, bridges where necessary, cleared areas for peg positions (no sugar beet or long grass to trip you up) - these are all bits a good keeper will do as they will consider the full shoot day experience for their guests. Then there’s the quality and timing of how the drives are done and how the birds are presented - both of which reflect the skill of the keeper. Call me old fashioned but it’s quality not quantity in my book.

Yet another put it more bluntly: “I tip on how the keeper and the day was. I'm not gonna tip a miserable keeper more than minimum just because we hit the bag.”

Is there a minimum you should tip the gamekeeper?

Despite all of this, lots of commenters had some sort of rule of thumb that they went by, usually in the form of a minimum tip, which they would gladly hand over on all days barring those that were, to quote one commenter, “crap”. From this base point they would then add extra if it was a particularly good day. These minimums varied from £20 - £50.

So, is there a formula you can use to work out how much to tip the keeper?

My conclusion from all of this is that a formula is useful, up to a point. A formula is good for giving you a ball-park figure from which to work. For what it is worth, the most popular system (for pheasant and partridge shooting) was as follows:

• £30 up to 100 birds, plus £10 per 50 birds thereafter

Speaking for myself, I can’t think of many circumstances under which I wouldn’t tip the keeper. I suppose if I saw evidence of wildlife crime, poor conditioned or immature birds, or if the keeper was rude or miserable I would have second thoughts about tipping my usual amount. Like many of the commenters, I don’t shoot for numbers, but for the experience, but I also think that the larger bags take rather more work to achieve, so I do use a bit of a sliding scale. As it happens, I use the formula mentioned above to give myself an idea, and adjust the final figure accordingly.

However, there were plenty of other systems mentioned. Several people suggest a simple 10% of the value of the day, though given the significant variance in the cost of shooting, this could be tricky to estimate. Others suggest a simple £10, £15 or £20 per 50 birds. All of the figures used here are with reference to pheasant and partridge shooting. Grouse keepering is an all-round tougher gig, so the numbers will be higher.

Ultimately, the amount you choose to tip is entirely up to you, and you can base that tip - should you decide to give one - on any criteria of your choosing. If you’re really not sure, the best thing to do would be to have a quiet word with the shoot captain or your host to get a feel for what would be appropriate.  In this instance, you can still adjust this based on your enjoyment of the day (positive or negative.) If you are a guest (ie, you have not paid for your peg), you may feel that adding a little extra is appropriate.

It should also be added that your financial means may come into play - if your means are limited, simply tip as much as you feel you can afford, but similarly, if you are blessed with very deep pockets, you may wish to take this into account when calculating your tip. There are tales of four figure sums or even more being tipped, or sometimes even 4x4 vehicles, though this could well be apocryphal. 

How to tip the keeper

As has been mentioned, your tip to the keeper is a private affair. The most common way to hand over your cash is to fold your money into the palm of your hand, and to pass it to the keeper while shaking his hand. Assuming you’re not handing over a great wad of cash (as mentioned above, some people do tip significant sums) this should be just fine. Your handshake should be accompanied by a few words expressing how much you enjoyed the day, and of course, a “thank you.”

For amounts that don’t easily fit into the palm of your hand, you may find that an envelope tucked into the keeper’s pocket is the best bet. One thing to avoid is being too ‘obvious’ - your tip is not a chance to show-off - so keep things discreet. 

Tipping the keeper - the key points to remember

• Tipping is not compulsory, but is customary if you have had a good day
• The amount you tip is a personal choice based on your own enjoyment of the day
• Working out how much to tip the keeper can be done in several ways
• A useful guide is £30 for the first 100 birds, plus £10 per 50 birds thereafter, but bag size is only one factor in the calculation, and for many, the least important one.
• Many people have a “minimum” that they will tip, and add more if they really enjoyed the day - for some the minimum is £30, for others as much as £50.
• Tip as much or as little as you feel is justified, and you feel you can afford.
• Be discreet when you hand over your tip.