Bear hunting in Arkansas?

They seem to take quite a few in Scott County, although I have not put much effort into it. We are in the Quachita National Forest. John
 
Fall only. If i was coming from out of state i would make good friends with a crazy cajun [see above] as baiting is only allowed on private property.
 
I really haven't checked it out but I think I will. This thread has made me curious. Are these quota areas or by draw? I drive twenty hours to chase a bear driving six would be nothing besides the chance to hunt new country.
 
Southwind, never really thought about it from a non res perspective . All the bear zones are pretty good .most bears are taken over bait.I see non res run adds in local news papers sometimes leasing hunting rights to private land. you dont need much ground ,just the right ground. this means backed up to nat'l forest, or large tracts of timber company land.Most guys that bait only do it for a few days ,im told that the bears move on.Some 500 lbs bears show up in the local papers and regional mags every year.I was told by a biologist that given the chance to reach maturity our bears get big because they dont hibernate as long as bears farther north. You can forget spotting them anything you may have learned out west wont be much help as the terrain is so much different.
 
a) We would be coming from here in Kansas and are very interested in doing this. I just need to figure out some details. I am a really good guy who may be looking for a friend to hunt with, if anyone knows of a spot out there in those hills. If it works out maybe we could talk about other connections in other states to hunt other game, if you know what I am saying.

b) I have never hunted out of Sportsmans Campground but did look it up on the website and may be interested in the future. We are definitely interested in chasing the elk here very soon.

Thanks Guys Good info
 
Last edited:
I don't know if you have looked at Oklahoma but its another close option for you. Same as Arkansas with baiting on private only. Quota hunt that only lasts a couple of days, hopefully longer this year. There are some large pieces of public land available in the SE corner of the state. It sounds like the seasons and or quotas to change along with more counties available to hunt for next season. You could combine it with an archery deer hunt. Just shoot a couple of does on public and hunt the gut piles.

Info on the public land available
http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/facts_maps/wma/three_rivers/BlackBearHuntingWMAs.pdf

Info on last season
http://outdoornews.com/oklahoma/article_9d08fe26-f134-11e0-bf4f-001cc4c002e0.html
 
I'm not sure how Ok plans to move forward with their bear season ,but the quotas in the past have been so low that it would be hard for a non resident to get on a bear. The majority are taken by residents who have active bait sites before the season begins. I guess if a non res could spend the time before the opener setting up bait sites he could make it happen. Seems like a lot of variables to have to deal with.If i was going to hunt Ok i would spend 3/4 of my time on the ground before the opening of season ,and plan on killing the first couple days of the season. I would check the regs about hunting gut piles ,its considered baiting in some states!
 
Tough for sure, especially on public. There are some non residents who hunt primarily private land over bait. Id expect the season/quota to change drastically. When I lived in the NE corner of the state a couple of years ago bears were showing up around grand lake pretty regularly and I think that more encounters or "problem bears" will increase quotas.

Normally Oklahoma sides with private land owners when they have a problem like this, kinda like how elk tags are otc on private land or mountain lions can be killed year round if they are going to commit depredation or a safety hazard.

Definetly don't think it is as good of a hunt as many other states but if you wanted to have a good time and hunt some large pieces roadless public land for bear and deer it is a doable trip.

Propably won't get one but heck last year I drove all the way to Montana and didn't get one so not filling a bear tag can happen anywhere.

I'll trust your judgement on the gut piles. I'll just soak my boots in Cam Hanes bear crack before I go hunting.
 
556, i think your spot on .I think a guy has a good chance in either state. I have seen that freaked out look in guys eyes when they get out west for the first time, you know the wide open spaces can just overwhelm them . i have seen people do the same thing out here, but in reverse they feel ''closed in''.Your correct about getting to hunt large tracts of roadless . Lots of people dont know its there .
 
I did look into Oklahoma last year but thought with the low quotas I would just be making a donation. It would be interesting to know how many bear in OK were taken by residence and how many were taken on private land. I really think a non-res would have to have some real good local help on private land lined up before jumping in.

I do like the gut pile idea given you could pull it off in a reasonable amount time to beat the quota being filled.
 
Last edited:
I'm sure the Arkansas opportunity is better but keep an eye on the quotas in OK. If those increase the season should last longer. The 2009 season lasted almost a month compared to 2010 that lasted a day.

Every year there are bears killed on public land in Ok so if you are willing to work for it it can happen wether you are a resident or not. With OTC tags for bear and deer it is an opportunity for a DIY hunt on literally hundreds of thousands of acres of public accessable land if thats what you are looking for and dont want to drive to WY or MT.

http://www.mccurtaincountygetaways.com/honobia_creek.php
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

O
Arkansas black bear
Replies
2
Views
948
Ozarkshunter95
O
R
Hi from Mississippi
Replies
11
Views
374
Rzrbk
R
SCCWP
Black Bear Hunting for a New Hunter
Replies
18
Views
665
The Missing Link
The Missing Link
K
35 Remington for black bear
Replies
2
Views
322
gradeAchuck
G
R
Alaskan Bear vs MT/WY Bear
Replies
18
Views
942
tenthcal
T
Leupold BX-4 Rangefinding Binoculars

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
111,382
Messages
1,956,823
Members
35,154
Latest member
Rifleman270

Share this page

Back
Top