Anyone have any experience with bear hunting in Arkansas? I'm interested because:

A) I live in Dallas area, so it's the closest Bear hunting available, and

B) A non-resident big-game tag in AR is $100.

I'm not interested in going where the biggest or best or whatever (read, not interested in spending big $$). I just want to hunt one our great game animals on it's own turf and see if I can bring one home with me.

I've looked at the harvest stats and matched that to county and National Forest maps. Does anyone know any specific areas that are productive?

Oh, I've never hunted bear at all, so ANY advise would be appreciated.

T. Texan, if I were you, I'd call Arkansas Game and Fish in Little Rock and ask them for info and details. Or, find their site on the Internet and check it out.

I know there is Black bear hunting in Arkansas, but don't know the details. A good friend of mine who lives there, had a Black bear tear up his tent while camped out in the woods, not long ago.

In the Baxter Bulletin newspaper (Mtn. Home, Ark.), just a couple weeks ago, they printed a picture of a good sized Black bear crossing the road out on the Buzzard Roost Road, by Lake Norfork. They're around, but I don't know what the hunting oppurtunities are.

Good luck. L.W.

Trademark, I was in a group of ten bowhunters a few years ago. We hunted bear and elk in Colorado, between Pagosa Springs and Durango, just west of Chimney Rock and north of 160 and north of Elk Mountain.
In the week we were there, we took 2 bulls and 4 bears...... yes, with bows! Two others had shots at bears, and everyone saw bear. Two guys turned and went the other way everytime they saw one!! LOL
It was all spot and stalk hunting for the bears. It was great! I shot mine at 6 steps!! He was so close I was was aiming down at him when I shot.
At the time you could buy a bear tag if you had a elk or deer tag, but now I think it is a Draw deal now. It may be worth a try.

Thanks, guys. I was interested in Arkansas because it's close, and you can buy a tag over the counter. From what I have read on the AR bears, they are pretty big (up to 400 lbs) and several hundred were killed in a relatively small area last year...