Regardless of how long you've been bowhunting, it's a safe bet that at one time or another, you've stared across a field and wished -- if only for a split second -- that you had a rifle in your hands instead of a bow. Sitting there, caught up on some invisible barrier 100 yards off, is the trophy of a lifetime. With a rifle, it would be an easy shot, a sure hit. But with a bow, it might as well be a world away.

Very few veteran hunters will argue that animals seem to know the limitations of their pursuers. And when you're packing a bow in pursuit of big game, the distance between 100 yards and 25 yards is infinitely greater than 75 long steps. Like the dash on a headstone, what happens between these two numbers is what defines a bowhunter. To close that critical distance -- and make the most of that dash -- you have to know how to play by the rules.

RULE NO. 1: Know When to Say When
It should come as no surprise that when it comes to making deer and elk traverse that magical distance between 100 yards and 25 yards, the first and most important rule relates to calling. Contrary to popular belief, however, the most crucial aspect of calling isn't necessarily making the right sound. It's knowing when not to make a sound.

"I see a lot of hunters who keep calling when they shouldn't," said Wayne Carlton, of CamoWest. Carlton is one of the most recognized names in big-game calling. His calls continue to be some of the most popular on the market. "Knowing when to call is just as important as knowing how to call," he said.

Big-game calling has a specific purpose, and a specific time. As a general rule, it's most effective before you have a visual on the animal. If you can't see him, then chances are he can't see you. If he can't see you and he's interested, he'll keep moving closer to the sound to try and see what's making it.

To get him interested enough to make that commitment, you have to find out what he wants to hear. Bucks and bulls are just like us: Some are lovers, and some are fighters. The key to calling them closer is knowing the personality of the animals you're working.

"If you find out what they're responding to, stay with it," said Glen Berry, of Berry Game Calls in Washington. "If a bull bugles off a cow call, there's no need for you to bugle anymore. He's trying to call that cow to him. So that's what you want to do -- go to him."

When you find the call that he's interested in, avoid the temptation to overwhelm him with it. Whether it's bugling, mewing, grunting or rattling, in the game of calling deer and elk, you should always abide by one rule-- less is most definitely more.

"I'll use a sequence of bugles and cow calls, then completely stop for 30 minutes," Berry said. "When you're doing it right, they're calling you, and they're coming in search of you."