ORIGINAL: muley69
Let be the first to say that you don't have to have a perfect bugle for it to be affective. Some of the worst bugles I ever heard were from bulls. In fact, if I hear a "classic" bugle, I almost always think it might be a hunter.
I'll 2nd this, perfect bugles are "Hollywood" bugles in my opinion and anyone who spends time hunting Elk alot knows this. If you are a beginner or just "bugle" shy, stick to cow calling. You rarely can go wrong sounding like a cow or two. I use the Hoochie Mama, Carlton Calls "Lonesome Cow", Sceery's Ace cow talker and a reed in my mouth for cow/bull talk.
Keep in mind that the perfect bugle is not the real world bugle. Bulls can make some of most unusual noises and rarely do they should perfect. Worst case, learn to whistle a bit and try to chuckle near the end and you will be a small rag bull trying to act like the big boys. Big boys love beating up small rags w/ cows!
Good luck!