Pisgah Fatality
BY Herschel Smith
2 hours, 57 minutes ago
Hunters exploring in a remote section of the 500,000-acre Pisgah National Forest stumbled onto a body in the dark, according to investigators in western North Carolina.
It happened around 8:30 p.m. Thursday, April 2, in northeast Buncombe County, near the Yancey County line, the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
“Officers responded to a call of human remains found by hunters scouting the area of 87 Coleman Boundary Road,” the sheriff office said.
“The remains were in an advanced stage of decomposition and BCSO investigators are awaiting autopsy results for both identity and cause of death.”
Recovering the remains required first responders to “navigate treacherous terrain throughout the night,” according to Capt. Chris Stockton of the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office.
“Our Criminal Investigations Division and CSI team will work with the U.S. Forest Service to provide answers and closure to those impacted by this investigation,” Stockton said in the news release.
Investigators did not release details of how the hunters found the body. Scouting is a form of preparation done by hunters in the off season, to “create strategic stalking and positioning plans,” according to Ilearntohunt.com.
It’s amusing that the article authors felt the need to explain what hunters do when they scout.
Treacherous indeed. You’ve heard me speak of Pisgah before. I’ve hiked there. I’ve hunted there. It’s a very dangerous place, as is Linville Gorge, and Jones Gap State Park, S.C. I and my dog almost died one expedition in Jones Gap.
Don’t go into Pisgah unprepared.
On April 5, 2026 at 9:14 pm, X said:
If it’s so treacherous, why were they out scouting at 8:30 pm? That’s well after dark. They could have ended up as casualties themselves.