Bears in Candler (Asheville, River Road: for sale, house, neighborhood) - Western North Carolina - North Carolina (NC) -The Mountain Region including Asheville - City-Data Forum

Tuscany · 03-13-2010, 07:20 AM

Hi all! I have a question the could be a silly one but thought I'd ask anyway. My family is looking at homes for sale in the Candler/ White Rock Mountain area and I've heard that there are a lot of bears there. Does anyone know if there is any merit to that? I know bears are in most places and that they do seem to favor the mountains, but I am looking to get a few rescue dogs once we get moved and I don't want to have to constantly be on the lookout for them. If anyone has any input at all, I would greatly appreciate it. Any general thoughts on the area would be helpful, too! Thanks so much!!!

angrycandy · 03-13-2010, 08:09 AM

Hi there! I live in the 'burbs of east Asheville and black bears are very common and present here in WNC. Generally they are very passive and don't pose any harm when their young aren't around/involved in feeding. It's always wise to keep one's trash in and bird feeders high to not entice them. Dogs are great too as a warning system.

Here are some photos I took on the fly last year:

In our yard October 2009 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/earlygrrrl/3990029737/ - broken link) and behind our deck May 2009 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/earlygrrrl/3520340820/in/photostream/ - broken link)

Hope this helps.

Tuscany · 03-13-2010, 06:39 PM

Thanks for the reply. I didn't realize that bears were that common so close to Asheville, but I know that little by little we are taking over their land.

angrycandy · 03-14-2010, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tuscany

Thanks for the reply. I didn't realize that bears were that common so close to Asheville, but I know that little by little we are taking over their land.

You're welcome and I wholeheartedly agree with you. People are often shocked when they visit and see firsthand the bears casually strolling up the middle of the street any given time of the day. My Mom lives in an even more urban area and they're the same in her neck of east Asheville too. She lives directly off of Governor's View Road. The one that connects Tunnel Rd/70 to River Road by WalMart. It's a little saddening and I worry for the bear's safety in that area, especially.

I'd say the scariest bear "situation" we've encountered is when my Husband came home from work one night after dusk to see one within a few feet of our front door. Now we're more aware of this when leaving the house at dawn and dusk hours - and we don't own any dogs, or we'd be forewarned I'm sure.

We also have fox, wild turkey, and the occasional coyote in our neck of the woods, so I can only imagine how common it would be in regard to bears and such on the outskirts of Asheville.

Tuscany · 03-15-2010, 02:22 PM

Thanks, angrycandy. I appreciate the comments. I think that we might have to reconsider that area. We were hoping to have a big garden and some small animals as well and I don't think I would feel too safe. We used to live in a neighborhood and had bears and they were very destructive because they got into everything. Again, thanks for you candid answers!