[Challenger]

I had a friend tell me that the black bears and deer in carroll county (Holiday Island) were getting out of hand. What do you know about this?

 

[befus]

The only thing I know is that a friend had one eating dog food off the front porch of his hill top home last week.........

 

[SR4]

Holiday Island has always had an abundance of deer. And in the last couple years I've heard alot of stories of bears in that country.

 

[Hobbshunter]

I'm sure there's tons of deer in there.
I wouldnt be surprised if there was some bears, but I doubt there's a ton. I know there was young bear in Lost Bridge Village last summer, and that's not very far away. However, word travels fast and rumors grow in a retirement village. You'd have thought Lost Bridge was infested if you talked to the right old timer over there last year.
There is plenty of rough country over there, and it's not but a hop, skip, and a jump from where there are plenty of bears. I guess there's only one way to find out.

 

[Challenger]

I have hunted the lost bridge core area and have found some large beds in some leaves and some black hairs. I would love to shoot a bear.:up:
They have a bear trap set up in Bentonville behind Sam Walton's house. You always hear of bears eating out of the bird feeders in Bella Vista.:biggrin:

 

[readytoshootsumtin]

I checked the agfc bear harvest report and there has only been 1 bear killed and checked in Benton county in about the last 10 years, I live out by Beaver and thought about setting up a bait site. I thought there would be a few more bears tagged in this county with all thw hunting around the lake and Hobbs. My parents live in Holiday Island and they have never mentioned any problems with bears, the deer are a nusance

 

[Hobbshunter]

Of all the time I've spent on Hobbs, I've only seen bear sign twice. I did some work out there this winter, and folks working for the park tell me that they have put out baits, etc and they found no bears.
I live in BV, and my neighbor tells me one was trapped by our houses a couple years before I moved there. One was trapped by my parents house on the E city limits of Rogers years ago, and I've heard of several bears spotted right there over the years.
You dont have to go much further E or S to be in bonafide bear country, but I think there are very few bears that permanently reside in Benton Co. Bears have a big range, and most of the sitings happen in the summer when the youngsters are getting kicked off on their own.
I keep hoping I'll bump into one though.

 

[454c]

One of my inlaws,that live on the eastern edge of Eureka, had a video of a bear climbing into the back of their truck.

 

[readytoshootsumtin]

I heard stories of a woman about 10 years ago that had a sow and cubs eating dog food off her back porch, she lived close to the Lowell water treatment plant. I cannot confirm this though. In 1981, when I was about 6 years old, a neighbor of ours had problems with a bear and with the help of some dogs they killed it in the Nelson hollow area of Beaver lake that is the only confirmed sighting that I know of in Benton county, I'm sure they pass thru and it seems like there would be a few in the Hobbs area.