alligator's in Arkansas (Maumelle, Ozark, Bay: high school, live in, move)

[movedintime]

Tell me it aint true. The thought of being retired and fishing by the lake, only to have an alligator leap out at ya.... does not sound fun. even the thought of having to watch out for them. Might have to give up water activities, even shore fishing. Any experiences ??

[biscuitmom]

Not a likely problem in NW Arkansas, according to http://onlyinark.com/homegrown/alligators-arkansas/:

So, are you likely to stumble upon an alligator while out in the woods or on the river? That depends on where you are. Alligator territory covers the southern half of the state, and also stretches north into the Delta, but they keep to themselves in swampy areas near rivers, lakes and streams. The northern part of the state is simply too cool for alligators to survive. Two of the most likely places to see alligators in larger numbers are Arkansas Post National Memorial or Millwood State Park.

[Old Fossil]

Originally Posted by movedintime

Tell me it aint true. The thought of being retired and fishing by the lake, only to have an alligator leap out at ya.... does not sound fun. even the thought of having to watch out for them. Might have to give up water activities, even shore fishing. Any experiences ??

No problem. Biscuitmom tells it right. Personally, I have worked all over Arkansas, mostly in very remote areas, and have never seen a gator in the wild. So, come on and enjoy The Natural State

[nmnita]

there might be other less than friendly creatures out there but gators are not one of them.

[Rock Climber]

They don't live in the Ozarks and barely live in the state, from what I understand.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Originally Posted by Rock Climber

They don't live in the Ozarks and barely live in the state, from what I understand.

Correct. They are only in certain bayous and sloughs of the Mississippi, maaaaaybe the lower Arkansas and White, and certain wetlands near the LA border.

[Sarahsez]

Didn't they restock them in Holla Bend several years ago?

[movedintime]

Thank you all for the replies. Now if I can just get the visual out of my mind of a gator leaping out of the water, well you know. In Hawaii now, and with all the shark attacks here we stay out of the water. Guess being eaten alive is not very high on my priority list. haha

[Rock Climber]

Originally Posted by movedintime

Thank you all for the replies. Now if I can just get the visual out of my mind of a gator leaping out of the water, well you know. In Hawaii now, and with all the shark attacks here we stay out of the water. Guess being eaten alive is not very high on my priority list. haha

Well I've literally never heard of an alligator attack in Arkansas.

Some further reading has shown me that they were re-introduced into some parts of the state, but that the Northern part of Arkansas is too cool for them to survive. I suppose if we had several winters like the past two, with not much freezing weather, it's feasible that they could move north for a few seasons.

I have never seen one, and I don't think they live around here at all. They can be found in southern Arkansas, but even there they are pretty rare.

[WestForkGrant]

Originally Posted by BayAreaHillbilly

Correct. They are only in certain bayous and sloughs of the Mississippi, maaaaaybe the lower Arkansas and White, and certain wetlands near the LA border.

Farther north than that. My high school was at the Ranch (near Lake Maumelle and the river) and there were several times alligators were seen. I wouldn't say it happened that often but about once a year or so. I remember one time students were told to stay away from the softball field because there was an alligator in the outfield haha