Carlton likes to walk or ride along ridges and bugle down both sides until he gets an answer. He usually has his best luck in late September and early October.
    "The way I figure it is that if I'm out in late September and I don't hear any elk, either there aren't any bulls where I'm hunting, or the ones there just don't want to bugle," Wayne said. "My philosophy is to keep covering territory until I find a bull that wants to bugle."
    When Carlton gets a response, he quick­ly moves toward the animal, making sure he stays downwind or crosswind from it. Each time the elk bugles, Carlton imitates it as closely as he can. He has so much confidence in the realistic quality of his bugles he does not worry about calling too much.
    "The idea is to keep the bull really cranked up," he said. "I always keep after a bull. I don't let him rest. I'm the aggressor.
    Carlton believes most bulls won't come in unless he first gets 150 to 200 yards from them.
    "When you start getting close, try to keep a tree 10 to 30 yards in front of you. The idea is for the bull to walk behind the tree when he comes in. That gives you a chance to draw your bow or raise your gun. I wear camouflage clothing and sometimes a camouflage head net, and that's all the cover I need. I'd rather be in the open than in brush so that I can shoot, but I usually keep a tree behind me so my outline is broken up. A bull coming in to a bugle usually won't see you if you're camouflaged. I've had elk look right through me. When you get a bull cranked up, he just knows there's another bull elk there someplace.
    "Wayne recommends against shooting farther than 40 yards and cautions against getting overexcited.
    "Don't take the first shot you get," he said. "Just hang loose and let the bull move until you get a good shot. I usually wait until he's 10 or 15 yards out. And remem­ber, as soon as you shoot, bugle. Don't move. If you missed, you might get another shot. And if you hit him, great! You won't have to track him down."
    It's not always as easy as Carlton makes it sound, but if your dream is to lure the bull elk of a lifetime within spitting distance, learn to bugle with a turkey call.
    You can't argue with success!