Corey Jacobsen

Corey Jacobsen and Randy Newberg cover everything you need to know about hunting cow elk and why it should not be overlooked. And when it comes to acquiring this tasty protein, don’t get distracted by the antlers. They cover how to find cow elk in the pre-rut, peak-rut, post-rut and late season to help fill your antlerless tag.

It’s a matter of statistics. The odds of obtaining a hunting license for cow elk versus bulls is much higher in most states. It has everything to do with overall population numbers, cow versus bull elk ratios and other factors overseen by biologists and wildlife managers. Corey Jacobsen wades through these figures to explain the “why” of hunting cow elk. And just because there may be more of them out there, doesn’t necessarily mean cows are easier to hunt. 

For cow elk, it’s all about the food – and getting a LOT of it. Knowing what types of forage are available and where to find it is your first step. Randy Newberg breaks down the types of vegetation and nutritional needs sought by cow elk so you can better understand and find them on your hunt.  As a hunter, knowing the time of year and the types of forbs that are available on a given landscape helps you get into the mindset of a cow elk. They are constantly moving, grazing and in search of more nutrition, at the lowest risk, while having to expend the least amount of energy. These tricks will lead you to the “where” cow elk will be in the unit you are hunting in early archery to late rifle season.

Call it a formula for cow elk hunting success. It goes like this: the gross calories consumed by cow elk, minus the calories spent to find nutrition, equals net calories and therefore, where to find that cow elk. As a longtime accountant and numbers guy, Randy Newberg looks at the five caloric factors that determine when and where cow elk go to feed. If you know that information, you have a much greater chance of successfully finding them. And you can’t hunt them, if you don’t know where they are, right? 

Now that you understand the nutritional needs of cow elk, or what they feed on and where they do so, you’re ready to hunt them. But remember, cow elk are always on high alert, unlike distracted rut-crazed bulls, because they look out for themselves and the herd. Corey Jacobsen breaks down different approaches you can use during both the pre-and peak-rut to find and lure cow elk.  

There are many factors to understand about the cow elk you seek. In this final chapter, Randy covers how drought and moisture patterns affect elk behavior and their movement. He highlights different patterns of elk tracks and how they equate into different behaviors. Randy breaks down other scenarios that can help you have a successful cow elk hunt and what to do after you take that shot.

Scouting is an essential part of elk hunting success. With onX, you no longer have to spend several hours, days or even weeks, in the area you plan to hunt. In this OutdoorClass, Corey shows you the key features he uses within onX that makes e-scouting effective in identifying where to find an elk during the rut.

In this chapter, Corey highlights some of the fundamental features within onX and what he likes to utilize the most while e-scouting for elk. He walks you through his personal techniques, so you’ll know exactly where to begin. Corey explains 3D Elevation Exaggeration, Satellite vs Topo and when to turn on the different layers offered within onX, to take your e-scouting to the next level.

Elk are simple creatures of habit, but that does not make them easy to find. In this chapter, Corey goes over the top three features he looks for during the rut to find elk. Through this process, you will narrow down potential successful hunting areas.

To find elk feeding areas, it is not always about looking for a specific type of feed, but more about looking for a specific location based on several factors. Corey dives into key features of what it takes to find elk feeding areas and how to spot those areas with onX.

Elk will often concentrate their activities closely around water sources, especially during the rut. In this chapter, Corey explains where to find some “hidden” pockets of water using onX.

Elk focus on regulating their body temperature in the rut. This is an important feature Corey considers when looking for elk bedding. In this chapter you’ll learn Corey’s go-to strategies for identifying elk bedding areas and how to locate these areas with onX.

Once you’ve narrowed down your preferred hunting area, you need to verify access. With good access points, roads may also be nearby which, consequently, may lower your hunting success. In this chapter, Corey shares strategies for identifying access points within onX and how to amplify your elk e-scouting process even further.

We have the technology, might as well utilize it! Whether you are scouting before season or not, onX helps you get familiar with the land and saves you hours of wandering across mountain sides looking for elk. In this chapter, Corey goes over his final step – verifying onX waypoints in the field. Corey explains why he looks for historic rutting areas and how to spot previous signs of rut activity.

There is nothing like the experience of calling in a screaming bull elk! 11-time World Elk Calling Champion Corey Jacobsen teaches you everything you need to know to use calls effectively to bring elk in close on a consistent basis.

Corey explains the manufacturing process of building a diaphragm elk call to give you a thorough understanding of how elk calls are made, as well as the differences in elk calls, to help you select the diaphragm elk call that’s going to work best for you.

A process simplified into individual steps is much easier to master, and Corey breaks elk calling down into its most basic and simplified form.

Making simple cow sounds is an important part of calling in elk, and it’s also the easiest elk sound to learn to make. Corey teaches you how to make the most realistic sounding cow sounds.

Corey simplifies the learning process to enable you to make high quality bugles and chuckles so you possess more confidence and can rely on your calls this elk season.

Corey explains the meaning of the most common elk sounds made by cows and bulls, and how elk use those sounds to communicate.

Finding elk during different seasons involves understanding their needs within those seasons, and then knowing where those needs can be met throughout varying terrains.

Elk leave clues about where they are and where they have been, and Corey explains how to read those clues to dial in exactly where the elk are while you are hunting them.

Even when you can’t see an elk, you can often still confirm they are in the area. Corey teaches how to use calls to help pinpoint the location of elk.

The setup is the most critical piece of the calling process, and Corey explains how to get in the zone to set up in a way that will maximize your calling success.

If you want to create the most effective situation for being successful as an elk hunter, having a caller set up a short distance behind a designated shooter is the answer.

Calling elk alone can be difficult, but Corey shows how to overcome solo elk calling obstacles by using the terrain more effectively and using your calls more deceptively.

Corey teaches why calling elk based on a “language” isn’t always the best approach, and shares why he feels elk respond to calling and how you can make them respond more predictably.

Corey’s proven tactic for bringing elk into his calls is simple, efficient, and effective, and he shares how he implements this tactic day in and day out during elk season.

Corey shares the details of his Top 3 elk calling tactics to implement with a hunting partner.

Elk have attitudes, and you can use these calling tactics to expose their weaknesses and take advantage of their attitude.

Corey details several tactics that can be added to your calling sequence to magnify the effectiveness of your calling.

Corey shares the Top 10 things he feels you can do to increase your confidence when it comes to calling elk during the rut.