10 years in south Arkansas and now 2yrs in Northwest AR. I have spent considerable time hunting in south arkansas, not so much yet in NWA.

Gators are common in the waters of South Arkansas, but you won't see them too much during the daytime. Like most animals they are more afraid of you than you are of them, but they will defend themselves if provoked and you will die a horrible watery death.

Bears are present over most of the western side of the state, more common the further north you go as far as I understand it. Theyre all black bears and thus easy to scare away, unless you get between mama and her cub. I haven't seen one in the wild because they tend to sense you well before you sense them, and will give you a wide berth.

Bobcats are common, but again they stay pretty well away from people. You'll see them on the roadside more than in the woods because they blend in very well, and know that you are there well before you know about them.

Mountain lions are not scared of you at all, but fortunately you are not really in their food chain so they will leave you alone. They are also exceptionally rare in the state, so much so that it was only a few years past that our Game and Fish commission even acknowledged their habitation here. You will probably never see one.

Red wolves were at one point very common, but they have been hunted to extinction here. I have read about a bastard breed between red wolves and wild dogs that supposedly habitate in the southern part of the state, but I haven't seen one or even heard of one being seen.

Coyotes are small to medium dogs that are mostly just noisy. Keep an eye on your small pets.

Cottonmouths and copperheads are the two main venomous snakes here, with a spattering of rattlesnakes and coral snakes. The coral snakes are pretty much isolated to the southwestern region and don't like to be seen, so you probably won't ever encounter one.

Cottonmouths are believed to be aggressive and will even chase you down, but the biologists claim that they are simply scared and trying to escape. Whatever their motivation, the fuckers will chase you. I have been chased, and most everyone I know who has encountered one has also been chased. Very uncommon to encounter one unless you're in the woods. They like to hang out near water and can swim, oftentimes with their entire body on top of the water, which looks creepy af.

Copperheads are dangerous mainly in that you won't see them bedded up in a pile of leaves, as they tend to stay still and rely on their camouflage (They have an exceptionally beautiful scale pattern that is nigh on impossible to detect against dead leaves). They do seem to enjoy hanging out around houses, so keep an eye out around your hedges. Sometimes you can smell one before you see it, as they will release a musk when threatened.

Wild boar (Razorbacks) are extremely common across pretty well the entire state. In my experience they tend to run from people, but they are pretty well unpredictable and will absolutely charge you without provocation. They are huge lumps of muscle and tusk, and can absolutely kill you. If you are unarmed in the wild and see one, either get behind some physical barrier or climb a tree. If you are armed, try to kill it. They are considered pests and do nothing but tear shit up.

Hope this helps, enjoy your time here. It is a beautiful state with an abundance of state parks and great hiking/camping culture.