Tex Creek Zone Idaho

[rtrevor7767]

Hello all. I have a B tag for the Tex Creek zone in Idaho this October. I have never hunted this zone before, and I have a question about the motor vehicle restriction rule in place for this Zone. As I understand the rule, no motor vehicles, including atv's and motorcycles can be used for hunting on any road not designated for use by full sized vehicles. Based on my review of the road and trail maps, this would seem to create quite a few areas where a hunter could get away from some of the road hunting. However, reading older posts on the forum, it sounds like these rules are regularly ignored and that there are atv's and motorcycles everywhere, even where not allowed. I am wondering if anyone who has hunted this zone could help me understand the reality of the situation "on the ground" during rifle season. I know there is a lot of pressure. I am just wondering how hard it is to get away from that pressure, particularly the road hunters. Thanks, in advance, for your help.

 

[Lilhowie83]

Hello all. I have a B tag for the Tex Creek zone in Idaho this October. I have never hunted this zone before, and I have a question about the motor vehicle restriction rule in place for this Zone. As I understand the rule, no motor vehicles, including atv's and motorcycles can be used for hunting on any road not designated for use by full sized vehicles. Based on my review of the road and trail maps, this would seem to create quite a few areas where a hunter could get away from some of the road hunting. However, reading older posts on the forum, it sounds like these rules are regularly ignored and that there are atv's and motorcycles everywhere, even where not allowed. I am wondering if anyone who has hunted this zone could help me understand the reality of the situation "on the ground" during rifle season. I know there is a lot of pressure. I am just wondering how hard it is to get away from that pressure, particularly the road hunters. Thanks, in advance, for your help.

I am hunting Tex Creek for the first time /his year too. I have found the same thing as you, it looks like there are some great areas if people obey the motorized vehicle rule. But from my experience in other units, people will use the exception to the rule that you can pack your camp in on a atv or motorcycle, they do this to get back to those good areas. I expect this to be the case in Tex Creek as well, but my boys and I plan to put our boots on the ground and do the best we can. Good luck.

 

[rtrevor7767]

I am hunting Tex Creek for the first time /his year too. I have found the same thing as you, it looks like there are some great areas if people obey the motorized vehicle rule. But from my experience in other units, people will use the exception to the rule that you can pack your camp in on a atv or motorcycle, they do this to get back to those good areas. I expect this to be the case in Tex Creek as well, but my boys and I plan to put our boots on the ground and do the best we can. Good luck.

That was my experience in the Salmon zone last year. guys ripping around on roads and trails clearly marked "closed." It made it very hard to get away from the noise. I expect the same in Tex Creek this year. My plan is the same as yours, lace up the boots and start walking. Best of luck to you and your group.

 

[Losing_Sanity]

The trails are closed to riders with a hunting license but not to handicapted hunting permit holders. It's also not closed to riders that don't hunt. Some hunters do manipulate the law by traveling with some camping equipment to say they are looking for a camp site. The law is a tough one and there is more to it than just hunting. Some fish and game officers only enforce the law based on certain circumstances while other are more strict. But, bottom line is, the trails are closed to hunting activities using an ATV or Motorcycle. Even getting your game out.

 

[rtrevor7767]

The trails are closed to riders with a hunting license but not to handicapted hunting permit holders. It's also not closed to riders that don't hunt. Some hunters do manipulate the law by traveling with some camping equipment to say they are looking for a camp site. The law is a tough one and there is more to it than just hunting. Some fish and game officers only enforce the law based on certain circumstances while other are more strict. But, bottom line is, the trails are closed to hunting activities using an ATV or Motorcycle. Even getting your game out.

Thanks for that reply. I assumed the application of the law was much more nuanced than it would appear just from reading the rule.

 

[Irrelevant]

I can't figure that rule out. In the zone I'm familiar with there doesn't seem to be any reduction even after the rules goes into place. Still tons of dudes on ATVs, SxS, and motorbikes. I just learned to deal with it.

 

[ccc23454]

Tex creek.....the 7-day war. Good luck and it can be done

 

[wsco3506]

Is there still a motor travel restricted area on the east side of the zone? When I hunted it 10 years ago it was really productive following a storm. It is a migration route to the tex Creek wildlife area. The day after a decent snow I would catch some moving through toward bear Creek. All I had to do was out walk the guys on horses. I killed elk three years in a row within about 1/2 mile of each other. It is still my favorite place to hunt both deer and elk. Really hope I can get back there some day..... ----R

 

[elker]

I live in Unit 69 and have hunted the zone a few times. Yes there are quite a lot of hunters in the area and a lot of elk. The open roads give plenty of access to hunt and disperse the hunters well. Expect to see outfitters and camps along the roads with horses and atvs, although once you get away from roads, you might not see other hunters. I wouldn't bother with the Tex Creek Management area that early and concentrate on the higher elevations. I like the area south of Palisades Lake and towards the Wyoming border. Usually glass up a herd of elk early and try to get to them when they're out feeding. It can be steep and what seems like an hour hike, is usually double that. Hunt uphill in case you shoot one to have a downhill haul. Off Palisades, very few trails for atvs to be on (illegal anyway) just because of the rugged nature. Just my .02.

 

[Lilhowie83]

The trails are closed to riders with a hunting license but not to handicapted hunting permit holders. It's also not closed to riders that don't hunt. Some hunters do manipulate the law by traveling with some camping equipment to say they are looking for a camp site. The law is a tough one and there is more to it than just hunting. Some fish and game officers only enforce the law based on certain circumstances while other are more strict. But, bottom line is, the trails are closed to hunting activities using an ATV or Motorcycle. Even getting your game out.

You can use a motorized vehicle to retrieve downed game. It is the second exception to the rule on page 104 of the big game procl[mation.

 

[Losing_Sanity]

You can use a motorized vehicle to retrieve downed game. It is the second exception to the rule on page 104 of the big game procl[mation.

That's good to know, as I was in the regional office last year with my son and posed that specific question. I was told by the fish and game supervisor there that you could not be on the trail at all as a hunter. Also, My son talked to a fish and game cop he is familiar with, and he was told the same from him. In addition we could not help anyone get their game out with a 4 wheeler even if we were not hunting and did not have a firearm with us. It is closed to anyone with a hunting license unless you had a handicap permit. I'm not sure where the disconnect is but that is what we were told by fish and game. Maybe that has changed recently, I don't know. I know you can use a vehicle off road a specified distance to retrieve your game. I don't recall the distance.

 

[Lilhowie83]

That's good to know, as I was in the regional office last year with my son and posed that specific question. I was told by the fish and game supervisor there that you could not be on the trail at all as a hunter. Also, My son talked to a fish and game cop he is familiar with, and he was told the same from him. In addition we could not help anyone get their game out with a 4 wheeler even if we were not hunting and did not have a firearm with us. It is closed to anyone with a hunting license unless you had a handicap permit. I'm not sure where the disconnect is but that is what we were told by fish and game. Maybe that has changed recently, I don't know. I know you can use a vehicle off road a specified distance to retrieve your game. I don't recall the distance.

It must come down to the interpretation of the fish and game officer, because I asked 2 different officers the same question in the unit that we deer hunt and they told me that we could Pack out our game on a 4 wheeler.

 

[brnsvllyjohn]

I can tell what I learned from a few trips.
First I called the office in Pocatello and was given a totally different answer than the local game warden gave me. I think the game warden was correct and Pocatello was wrong. The locals had a different interpretation.
The game warden told us we could use a quad road to retrieve downed game as long as there was no gun on the quad when we went to retrieve the animal. You must stay on a quad road, no cross country travel ever.
The locals told us we could drive a quad anywhere we wanted to for retrieving game since that was allowed in the rule book somewhere. Game warden said no to that one. Not even a short distance off of a road.

As far as camping from your quad or motorcycle the game warden said he would not tolerate anyone just riding in with a sleeping bag and calling it camping. You must have an actual camp set up and spend nights in that camp. We saw a few doing legal camps but we also saw others trying the sleeping bag on a quad. The most abuse of the rules we saw were locals riding in for day hunts and just assuming they would not get caught. We saw non residents do the same thing we just didn't see as many.

Now I have not checked this years regulations so there could be changes. My last trip was 2 years ago. Obviously there is a lot of confusion and a lot of people just ignoring the rules. We choose to follow the rules the game warden went by.

I have hunted Southeast Idaho off and on for 30 years and in the last few trips I see more trucks from Washington, Utah and California than any other state except Idaho. Way too many hunters.

This was during deer season but I think the rules are the same. There were so many hunters in deer season we probably will never go back.

 

[Lilhowie83]

I can tell what I learned from a few trips.
First I called the office in Pocatello and was given a totally different answer than the local game warden gave me. I think the game warden was correct and Pocatello was wrong. The locals had a different interpretation.
The game warden told us we could use a quad road to retrieve downed game as long as there was no gun on the quad when we went to retrieve the animal. You must stay on a quad road, no cross country travel ever.
The locals told us we could drive a quad anywhere we wanted to for retrieving game since that was allowed in the rule book somewhere. Game warden said no to that one. Not even a short distance off of a road.

As far as camping from your quad or motorcycle the game warden said he would not tolerate anyone just riding in with a sleeping bag and calling it camping. You must have an actual camp set up and spend nights in that camp. We saw a few doing legal camps but we also saw others trying the sleeping bag on a quad. The most abuse of the rules we saw were locals riding in for day hunts and just assuming they would not get caught. We saw non residents do the same thing we just didn't see as many.

Now I have not checked this years regulations so there could be changes. My last trip was 2 years ago. Obviously there is a lot of confusion and a lot of people just ignoring the rules. We choose to follow the rules the game warden went by.

I have hunted Southeast Idaho off and on for 30 years and in the last few trips I see more trucks from Washington, Utah and California than any other state except Idaho. Way too many hunters.

This was during deer season but I think the rules are the same. There were so many hunters in deer season we probably will never go back.

I was told the same things, I had to stay on a designated atv trail. You can't have a gun while retrieving game and you can't hunt while packing in or out camp. But like you said, there are always those who just disregard the rules.

 

[Losing_Sanity]

I can tell what I learned from a few trips.
First I called the office in Pocatello and was given a totally different answer than the local game warden gave me. I think the game warden was correct and Pocatello was wrong. The locals had a different interpretation.
The game warden told us we could use a quad road to retrieve downed game as long as there was no gun on the quad when we went to retrieve the animal. You must stay on a quad road, no cross country travel ever.
The locals told us we could drive a quad anywhere we wanted to for retrieving game since that was allowed in the rule book somewhere. Game warden said no to that one. Not even a short distance off of a road.

As far as camping from your quad or motorcycle the game warden said he would not tolerate anyone just riding in with a sleeping bag and calling it camping. You must have an actual camp set up and spend nights in that camp. We saw a few doing legal camps but we also saw others trying the sleeping bag on a quad. The most abuse of the rules we saw were locals riding in for day hunts and just assuming they would not get caught. We saw non residents do the same thing we just didn't see as many.

Now I have not checked this years regulations so there could be changes. My last trip was 2 years ago. Obviously there is a lot of confusion and a lot of people just ignoring the rules. We choose to follow the rules the game warden went by.

I have hunted Southeast Idaho off and on for 30 years and in the last few trips I see more trucks from Washington, Utah and California than any other state except Idaho. Way too many hunters.

This was during deer season but I think the rules are the same. There were so many hunters in deer season we probably will never go back.

The trails are closed to riders with a hunting license but not to handicapted hunting permit holders. It's also not closed to riders that don't hunt. Some hunters do manipulate the law by traveling with some camping equipment to say they are looking for a camp site. The law is a tough one and there is more to it than just hunting. Some fish and game officers only enforce the law based on certain circumstances while other are more strict. But, bottom line is, the trails are closed to hunting activities using an ATV or Motorcycle. Even getting your game out.

As I stated above...

 

[Hawk Tuah]

Go with the most conservative interpretation of the law and you will be safe. If you see someone violate the law, video them and the license plate and turn them in. They are not hunters. They are poachers.

 

[44hunter45]

Go with the most conservative interpretation of the law and you will be safe. If you see someone violate the law, video them and llthe license plate and turn them in. They are not hunters. They are poachers.

Sounds like you've been in Unit 8 & 8A before. Bring lots of SD cards if you plan on videoing ATV violators.

 

[Losing_Sanity]

Go with the most conservative interpretation of the law and you will be safe. If you see someone violate the law, video them and llthe license plate and turn them in. They are not hunters. They are poachers.

Sound advice...

 

[rtrevor7767]

Is there still a motor travel restricted area on the east side of the zone? When I hunted it 10 years ago it was really productive following a storm. It is a migration route to the tex Creek wildlife area. The day after a decent snow I would catch some moving through toward bear Creek. All I had to do was out walk the guys on horses. I killed elk three years in a row within about 1/2 mile of each other. It is still my favorite place to hunt both deer and elk. Really hope I can get back there some day..... ----R

Thanks for the reply. The maps show a travel restricted zone in that part of the unit, but, again, whether the rules are being followed seems up for debate.

 

[rtrevor7767]

Thank you all for the replies and the tips. Public land hunting will always be a challenge. It would be nice if folks would read and follow the rules though. When they don't it makes it even harder for the rest of us, and it makes us all look bad.