ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Feeding a black bear in Buncombe County is already against the rules under an emergency order, and state wildlife officials spent Wednesday night in Asheville hearing from residents on a longer-lasting version of that ban.
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission held the public hearing on Oct. 21 as an early step toward a temporary rule. The proposal carries the same language as the emergency rule that took effect in the county on Oct. 19. Breaking it once would mean a $25 fine and court costs on a class 3 misdemeanor charge. A second violation inside three years would rise to a class 2 misdemeanor, with fines reaching $1,000.
Commission staff say the ban covers both deliberate feeding and careless habits, such as unsecured trash and outdoor pet food. The rule does not apply to feeding birds, pets or livestock, or to the lawful use of bait to hunt game animals. Some speakers at the hearing backed the rule but pressed the agency to drop the hunting bait exception and to make bear-proof garbage cans mandatory.
The numbers behind the push are steep. The county accounts for 38% of the bear calls the state receives each year, which works out to 800 to 1,000 calls. From May 1 through Sept. 30, the agency logged 836 reports of bear activity in Buncombe, 71 of them about a bear getting inside a home, plus five pets killed and two residents hurt. Most of the trouble is concentrated in Asheville, Black Mountain and Swannanoa.
Public comments are accepted through Nov. 6. The commission board plans to take up the temporary rule at its December meeting, and if the Rules Review Commission signs off that same month, the rule would start Jan. 1, 2027.
Section: More Asheville NC crime news
Filed under: Asheville NC Public Safety News
