The loud bugle will sometimes get an otherwise silent elk to bugle back as he may think you are a lot closer to him and his cows than you actually are. That may just give you a chance at him that you might not have had if you hadn't pissed him off enough to bugle back at you.

It's not so you can get him to come to you but so you know where he is and you can plan to get close to him. He doesn't care if you are a half a mile or more away. He will usually just go about his business if he is content. But the hunter isn't content in letting him just sit there.

If they are not content you would be surprised at how far they will come to you. If they think they are bigger than you and that you may have some cows that he could take from you he may come in from a lot farther and a lot faster than you think they would. I have been surprised more than once.