[jimnelson1]

I haven't been here for a while, but am suprised there is no mention of the bears now inhabiting Hot Springs Village. I've seen reports of as many as 10 bears, but I think it's more like 4. We have an adolescent male bear who has visited us, see pics below. And there is a mama bear with 2 cubs. I have not personally seen any of them, but my wife took the pics below.

He didn't bother anything, just slowly ambling along and went into the woods on the west side of our property.

[Luvvarkansas]

Your landscaping is awesome! I still want to make another trip to HSV and explore it more.

[jimnelson1]

Originally Posted by Luvvarkansas

Your landscaping is awesome! I still want to make another trip to HSV and explore it more.

It’s still a work in progress, and my wife gets all the credit.

[nmnita]

Great picture. I don't think I want one of those little or should I say big guys in my yard but they sure are fun to watch at a distance.

[Bamaman1]

I didn't have any idea they had bears around Hot Springs.

I'm in Gatlinburg today, and we see bears every time we come to the mountains. But they're expected here.

We also have a couple of bear families coming into our North Georgia campground most nights. They once got my outside refrigerator with a big pay slap. They love bacon & butter. Often, they come into the Atlanta suburbs, and the state has to move'em back up into the mountains.

And bears are afraid of any dogs, especially little yapping dogs.

[Tyryztoll]

Did you all know that Arkansas used to known as "The Bear State"? Apparently the bear population in Arkansas was nearly wiped out less than a century ago due to logging and clearing for farmland, but has rebounded to over 3,000 today.

https://onlyinark.com/arkansas-women...s-in-arkansas/

We live in Minnesota's bear territory. You don't wanna go walking through corn fields up here between May and October or so. Some of them make their dens in there and they go through them foraging for food. I've seen them emerging from corn fields several times. They also make their way all the way down to the Twin Cities by way of the rivers......one was just spotted in St. Paul the other day.

A Minnesota woman was the victim of a very rare black bear attack just north of the Canadian border last year.

https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2019/...ke-black-bear/

I couldn't find any official stats on bear attacks in Arkansas, but it's clear that both attacks and fatalities are rare as they are anywhere.

It's like driving......just use common sense and bear encounters can be an invigorating and enjoyable experience. Great photos, Jim!

[Sarahsez]

They restocked black bears in Arkansas some years back. I've never seen one in the wild, but I know they've increased their numbers over the years.