Arkansasan's please weigh in...

[hardwaymike]

First off I realize everyone is a lil biased of their home state,lol. But I have some questions. What is the year round weather like there? What is the hunting like quality wise not trophy wise? And how is the fishing? Thanks, Mike.

[sweeney3]

It's generally hotter than two rats playing patsie in a wool sock on July the 4th.  The hunting is good if not terribly diverse.  There is a lot of public land in the Ozark and Ouchita areas, but you'll have to be willing to do some leather work to get away from crowds.  It's plenty doable though.  Lots of deer, squirrel, and rabbit.  Occasional bear.  Turkey in the spring.  No upland birds to speak of.  There used to be a lot of quail around but they have really tailed off the past fifteen years or so.  Looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooots of people in a not very big area really.  It's grown a lot lately.  But overall the hunting is still pretty good.  Summers are almost unbearable and winters don't really exist.  

The fishing can be excellent, but I'm not going to blather about it all over the internet.  PM me if you are interested in some less publicized water.

[David Flanrey]

Good hunting in northeast corner.  Lots of public land with lots of people in concentrated areas.  Early in the hunting seasons there are billions of skeeters.  Thermocell is a must!

Lots of corp of engineer land around the lakes in other parts of the state.  It takes some work to get away from lots of people.

[ymountainman]

Only state where you can legally hunt alligator and a elk. Lots of deer in south arkansas. Ouachitas produce some big bucks every year but not alot of deer. Ozarks in north don't have alot of deer either. Nw ark has alot of deer and big bucks. Lots of Game and Fish Management areas to hunt state wide but they have permit hunts for muzzloader and rifle so it messes up bowhunters. Its got a LOng bowseason sept 15 till end of feb. On the deer in Ozarks and Ouachitas im talking about public land not having alot of deer. Its steep big woods. After gun season you will have the whole state to yourself to bowhunt though.

[Widow's Son]

The summers are pretty rough though not horrible in the northern part of the state. In the southern/southeastern it can be down right brutal. Hot, high humidity, lots of skeeters. As has been said we really don't have a winter. The deer hunting is good but you're probably not going to bag a huge trophy buck. Bow season runs from the first of Oct thru the end of Feb. Lots of public land and it's not too hard to get away from the crowds if you do your homework. Friend of mine got a nice 11 point during gun season in a wilderness area. He did have to pack the deer out but he said he didn't have to go far to get away from people. There are lots of fishing opportunities. Rivers, lakes, streams.

[tmccall]

Its all pretty much been said.  Hot summers, mostly mild winters.  

Good deer population, not a lot of "book" bucks but enough to make it interesting.  

Lots of opportunities in the northeast portion of the state for bowhunting public land that doesn't see a lot of action. The deer populations are smaller in that part of the state but the body size and antler size are bigger.  

Turkey hunting can be excellent along the border with MO in the north central part of the state.

The fishing is EXCELLENT.

[AR RidgeRunner]

Lots of public land. Northern part of AR has more hills, mountains and hardwoods. More farmland, flatter ground and pines in the southern part of the state. To this point most of the big book deer are killed in the south central part of the state but in recent years the north has has some really good deer killed. Good deer, turkey and bear hunting, some really big bears have killed in AR. Check out the AR Black bear assoc. web site for lots of bear and deer info, abba.org. Also great fishing; LM/SM bass, stripers, crappie and great trout fishing in the tailwaters. I'm partial to the NW portion of the state but been here all my life. I do a lot of traveling with my real job all over the country. Summers I'm sure are a little worse than MI but in my opinion they're worth it.
Sorry for the short response.......LOL

[AR RidgeRunner]

Lots of public land. Northern part of AR has more hills, mountains and hardwoods. More farmland, flatter ground and pines in the southern part of the state. To this point most of the big book deer are killed in the south central part of the state but in recent years the north has has some really good deer killed. Good deer, turkey and bear hunting, some really big bears have killed in AR. Check out the AR Black bear assoc. web site for lots of bear and deer info, abba.org. Also great fishing; LM/SM bass, stripers, crappie and great trout fishing in the tailwaters. I'm partial to the NW portion of the state but been here all my life. I do a lot of traveling with my real job all over the country. Summers I'm sure are a little worse than MI but in my opinion they're worth it.
Sorry for the short response.......LOL

[Gdpolk]

I love living in Arkansas.

There are plenty of places to hunt, fish, hike, camp, and otherwise be an outdoor enthusiast.

As for terrain we have delta flats/farmland, river valleys, rolling hills, and mountains depending on the area.

Fishing opportunities are GREAT almost anywhere in the state with species varying by the region and body of water.

Hunting opportunities are good.  Squirrel, rabbit, and deer are everywhere.  South AR has the best deer population.  North AR has elk.  Alligators are spread out throughout as are black bears.  Trapping opportunities are throughout the state as well.  We don't have a lot of opportunities for uplands birds like quail or dove but our duck hunting opportunities are world-renowned.  We also have decent spring turkey seasons.

As for weather
Summers = hot, humid, not that much fun
Falls = wonderfully pleasant and mild
Winters = mild, not that cold, sometimes windy
Spring = pleasant but rains just a bit too much overall, if you have allergies then springs will get your allergies fired up

[manitou1]

Don't forget to mention absolutely phenominal trout /flyfishing!

[bjohnson]

I moved here 8 years ago and it has some exceptional hunting. Local guys need to hook up with me and stop in the archery shop to see me. Let's shoot. I'm at ozark sportsman in tontitown

[hardwaymike]

Thanks for all the info guys. My ''better half'' is to the point where she feels the need of a milder climate. And I am only in if there is more opportunity to be outdoors,lol. She's a big girl and can make it thru winter without me if she picks Florida,lol. But if it is somewhere I can have fun also, I am in. Anyone want to pmm what the cost of living is like? Thanks again,Mike.

[arky714]

Leave your snow shovel behind,but you will need a good lawnmower,The summers are hotter than hell, you will need a good air conditioner.The deer season lasts 5 months more deer than squirrels,fishing is the best.Better have a way to make money,jobs don,t pay much here...BUT IT IS THE BEST PLACE IN THE WORLD TO LIVE....

[tmccall]

Cost of living in Arkansas is probably below the national average but so is the median income. It's all relative.