messin with sasquatch

[Lefty]

I mean other hunters!!
Or should I say am I mean to others?

Ok I enjoy the Jack Links commercials.
It all started a couple years ago. . I heard a bugle behind me nearly 3/4 mile away. For the next 45 minutes I watched three hunters sky lined on a ridge behind me.
Their pacing back and forth and calling eventually got to me. I snuck off into small hole with cover about 15 minutes after sunset.
I gave a couple of loud cow calls, and watched all three run for cover. I figured that hunt was over as soon as they started calling.

For years goose hunters would set up on the neighbors field. My wife actually enjoyed watching the other hunters with binos. I would blow a couple loud clucks on a call and watch fellows lay down or run to their layout blinds.

Well, this year I listened as a couple guys walked though the woods, I could hear them talking for some time. At times I could make out what they were saying.
I was ready. I cut the callers bugle off with my own bugle and a cow squeal. They answered back with everything they had as they ran towards the "herd"; at 110 yards they realized they weren't going to get much further into the blow down. They worked their way back and forth. The herd remained quiet
I gave one last cow calling sequence,.... to "Yankee Doodle"
" Sorry" to the young fellows in the grey Toyota

Are you willing to admit that you have been called in,.. or called in others!!

[Swede]

I probably should not mention it, but I have snuck in to see if a tree stand was occupied. Upon seeing a hunter roosting, I backed off into the forest a ways and Bugled a couple of times, just to give them a little encouragement, thinking a bull was nearby.

[under H2O hunter]

A couple years ago I was back deep in an area where I thought I was the only one. It was the afternoon and my GF and I had set up our spike tent and headed for an opening that we set up on. I let out a couple cow calls and about a 125 yards away a bull bugles out. I moved up about 25 yards as my GF drops back about 40 yards. She starts cow calling and this cow comes from the direction of the bugle. She stops broadside about 40 yards from me looking for the cow that was behind me. The bull bugles out again so I let the cow go thinking I have this bull coming on a string. Well after 15 minutes. I catch some movement. Turns out that the bull that was bugling was a solo hunter who had been packed in by an outfitter and had hiked up to this area we were at. Frustrated that I passed on the cow and had been fooled by the hunter I broke cover and went and introduced myself to this fellow... His name was Mark and he was from Georgia. He was unaware of a major storm was coming in that night and was gonna spend the night sleeping under the stars. We my GF and I felt we needed to help this guy out cause we knew how bad the weather was going to get. There was no way he was gonna fare well with no sleeping bag or cover. I had a small blue tarp with me from Home Depot and an extra Mountain house meal. He was very thankful and sure enough about midnight the storm blew in and it dumped a ton of rain on us and in the morning he was slightly hypothermic so we decided it was easier for all of us to hike out to my ATV's and take him to our camp to warm him up. After a day and half the weather finally broke and the rain stopped. He was so thankful and appreciative. I promised him I would get him back to his camp so we took off and I hiked him all the way to his camp. I spent the night at his tent and hiked back to my camp the fallowing day... To this day we are good friends and we talk often. I am not someone who gets easily fooled by other hunters bugling but it happens from time to time. I could of felt a variety of things but being humbled I feel helped us to save someone who made a poor decision and in return I gained a lifelong friend.


Another time I was hunting an area and had some guys come short standing behind me. I was working my way into a dark canyon and knew there was some good bulls in this hole. These guys must of been new hunters or something but they were calling and trying to bugle every 15 yards or so as they were coming in behind me. Figuring they would blow up any set up I may have a chance on if I continued down into this hole where I knew the elk were at I decided to lead these guys in a whole different direction. I would stay a good 100 yards or so in front of them. I could hear them talking to each other and knew that I had them in the palm of my hand. So I just lead them to an area that didn't have any elk in it. After I knew they were set up and committed to this elk they were chasing. I finally quit bugling and slipped out of this area and made my way back to the hole that did have the elk in it. I didn't end up sticking an elk that day but I had my opportunities as the elk were there and responding to my calling and I even laid eyes on a couple. I know that had I not got those guys out of there they would have messed it all up and I wouldn't of had those elk coming to my calls or even laid eyes on them... Later that night I ran into the guys and asked how their day went? When they told me they had this big bull responding to their calls but it kept moving away as they tried to get in close on them. I was laughing the whole time on the inside... I told them that if they knew where he was bedding up that they should hunt that hole the rest of the week and they would eventually get em... I ran into them a few days later as they were getting ready to head home. I asked them if they laid eyes on that big bull and they told me that they never heard another bugle in that canyon after that one day...

[bowhunter99]

Four years ago we were hunting on some BLM land, hiking out at last light. We hear an ATV coming down the trail, probably a quarter mile away. He stops, turns off his ATV, lets out a bugle immediately! Waits a couple minutes, fires it up and heads our way. Stops again and does the same thing. My son and buddy and I look at each other and shake our heads thinking dumb-a$%. My 14 year old son takes his diaphragm call and lets out a perfect cow call. Dude answers back instantly with bugle. Son does another cow call and everything gets real quiet.
Failed to mention, we had a gas mule we used to get the first half mile in, as it was really steep on the first part. There was a small piece of private property to our south also.
Anyway, after it gets quite for a couple minutes, a bull bugles not a 100 yards to our south! No shooting light left, so we stood there for awhile until the guy with the 4 wheeler bugles again, this time pretty close. He was trying to sneek in on us. My son gives a cow call, the bull on private land screams again, farther away this time, the guy bugles, and we jump into the mule and fire it up.
Would have paid good money to see that guy's face!

[cohunter]

Not (too) ashamed to admit it, but I've been called in before. Early rifle season, opening morning we were sneaking up a finger ridge, staying off the skyline when we heard a couple of cow calls to our East. They sounded close, so I snuck up to the crest of the ridge and peaked over the edge. There in the direction I expected elk sat two hunters in blaze orange about 100 yards away and staring intently down the hill. They never saw me, but I sure saw them! Lesson learned: When calling elk, stay off the skyline! I know elk have much better hearing than me, and I had them pegged at 100 yards at first glance using only the sounds I'd heard. I'm quite certain they never saw any elk in that set-up.

[WapitiTalk1]

Yes, once or twice. It really isn't very nice A few years ago on an early season WA hunt, I heard a bugle below me on a steep, berry bush choked sidehill. I was 90% sure it was a hunter (primos or some kind of reed bugle) but if a hunter, this guy had busted in at least a mile and a half from a low access road up through the nastiest lava outcrops and huckleberry fields you can imagine. But.... you never know so I moved towards the call, set up (was by myself this outing, hunting out from a wilderness bivy camp).. donned my face net, nocked an arrow, loudly beat the crap out of some brush, and threw out couple of notes with some light chuckles tacked on for good measure. Within the next 60 seconds, I knew it was a hunter(s). Why? Because I received the same five note, internal reed bugle back, followed by an attempt to do chuckles, followed by a series of unmistakable....... wait for it..... Hoochie Mama squeaks... Crap, what was this guy doing in "my" hunting area? So I did what I had to do.. I let go the nastiest, loudest, lip bawl scream with follow on hard hitting grunts I could muster. Poor guy(s).. I saw them moving below me, half crouched over getting into a new position.. Here comes the reed notes back up at me with Hoochie squeaks... Enough is enough, I gave them four or five turkey clucks and all went silent (there are no turkeys in this WA area by the way). I turned around and I assumed they left. Hey.. at least I didn't call them all the way in.

[cohunter]

Not nice at all, Phantom! Just stay out of my neck of the woods and save me the embarrassment!

[Tigger]

In the middle of our archery hunt last year, I realized I forgot all about my Hoochie Mama. I thought I should at least give it one try, so I took it out and let it rip. Immediately a cow answers! So I send my buddy around to get the better wind and after awhile I let out another hoochie mama call. I get an answer. Same spot, same call. My radar goes up. I move a little, wait for awhile, and give a diaphragm call real softly. I get the same exact call back. now I know it is a hunter so I start looking real hard and there is his face about 40 yards away. I gave a wave and went to talk to him. He was actually not hunting but packing out a bull he had shot and heard me call so he thought he would have some fun. Nice guy. We had a nice chat while we waited for my buddy to finally find us.