From Staff Reports 

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Black bears entered Buncombe County homes 71 times between May 1 and September 30, leading state wildlife officials to approve an emergency feeding ban.

Specifically, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission received 836 total reports of bear activity in Buncombe County during the five-month period.

What’s more, bears got inside a house 71 times. More than  40 percent of all statewide human-bear interaction reports occurred in Buncombe County, mainly centered around Asheville, Black Mountain and Swannanoa.