I hiked in over 2 miles to a basin to glass at evening. There was a truck parked right in the basin. Never mind that he also had an empty trailer which hauled in a quad, and was buzzing around on it blowing everything out. I turned and retreated and heard him bugle. I thought it was the most hideous bugle I ever heard.
Then I thought, "im gonna draw him 2 miles back to my truck, to pay him back"
I bugled as I walked away, he responded every time.
I laid off for a couple if his, and then ripped one off followed by a chuckle or 2 or 4 to interrupt his.
A mile later he is closing quickly, and I thought dang, this guy can hike.
He popped up over a ridge and let out his low toned bugle and I cut him off with a rasping scream and a bunch of chuckles. He is desperately nocking an arrow. I can hardly contain myself. But to avoid getting shot I step out from behind the tree and wave.
He walks to me and said you sure were slow closing the distance. I told him, I wasn't closing it, I was creating it trying to pull you to my truck for ruining that basin.
he said that aint my truck, I hiked in here too.
I felt like doo doo.
He was also a guide. We talked about the bull he shot that I also shot at all on same day. He hit it high front shoulder and I hit the branch in front of him as he stood in the middle of a cedar tree, and stuck his head thru to look me in the eye? Who does that? Crazy elk. (separate encounters). I soon hiked up the mountain and he the other, I heard him calling, so I jokingly ripped off another, yet different type (more a locater). 3 minutes he was on me. We laughed, and finished the evening hunt together.
We became friends this week, exchanged numbers and will likely hunt together - kid can hike.
Some callers are terrible, some are realistic. You will chase some, but definitely not all. Well I wont. Some are just too obvious. His cow and calf calls were the real deal though.