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Bear hibernationArizona

When Do Bears Hibernate in Arizona?

Arizona bears are feeding hard before winter, and go into their dens in early November.

Today, October 13

The bears

Fattening up

Bears start going into their dens in early November.

Bird feeders

Keep feeders down until early December

Feeders go back up once bears are in their dens, in early December.

Where these dates come from

Photo: “Black bear on a snowy spring day”, Neal Herbert, National Park Service, Public domain

Dens and feeders in Arizona

By Arizona Game and Fish's den and wake months
Early November
Into the den
per Arizona Game and Fish
Early April
Out of the den
per Arizona Game and Fish
Early April
Feeders down
when the first bears wake
Early December
Feeders back up
once the dens are full

Bears go into their dens over several weeks and come out over several more, so each is a span. Feeders come down as the first bears wake and go back up once the dens are full.

The sources

The dates, in the agencies’ own words

Into the den and out

Bears in Arizona go into their dens in early November and come out in early April.

Most Arizona black bears hibernate from November through March, during which time they reduce body temperature, heart rate and metabolic function while still remaining somewhat alert in the winter den.

Arizona Game and Fish, Black Bear, read October 13, 2026

On mothers with new cubs, Arizona Game and Fish:

Cubs emerge from the den in April and stay with their mother through the first summer and fall, denning with her their second winter.

Arizona Game and Fish, Black Bear, read October 13, 2026

The bird feeder

Down in early April, back up in early December. The dates follow BearWise, the bear program state wildlife agencies run: remove feeders when bears are active. They are when bears start waking and when dens are full, by Arizona Game and Fish's den and wake months.

When bears are active, the best option is to remove bird feeders.

BearWise, Remove Bird Feeders When Bears are Active, read October 13, 2026

Arizona Game and Fish on where to hang one:

Hang bird feeders at least 10 feet above ground and away from buildings, including porches, and use a tray to catch spills.

Arizona Game and Fish, Living With Bears, read October 13, 2026

Bears in Arizona

AZGFD reports a stable to increasing black bear population, with an estimated 5,800 black bears in the state.

Arizona Game and Fish, Black Bear, read October 13, 2026
A dark opening dug into a hillside underneath a large grey fallen tree trunk, with green plants around it
A bear den under a fallen tree in Yellowstone, photographed in late May. Under fallen trees is one of the den sites BearWise names, along with hollow trees, dug out mounds and nests under briar patches. “Bear den underneath a fallen tree”, Jacob W. Frank, National Park Service, Public domain
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Month by month

The Arizona bear year

Where the bears are in each month, from the den and wake months above, and where the feeder stands.

  1. January: In the den, feeders up
  2. February: In the den, feeders up
  3. March: In the den, feeders up
  4. April: Waking up, feeders down
  5. May: Out and hungry, feeders down
  6. June: Out and hungry, feeders down
  7. July: Out and hungry, feeders down
  8. August: Out and hungry, feeders down
  9. September: Fattening up, feeders down
  10. October: Fattening up, feeders down, this month
  11. November: Denning now, feeders down
  12. December: In the den, feeders up

Up and Down mark where the feeder stands in the middle of each month. The bar for this month is outlined.

Sightings

When Arizona bears are seen

The months people report black bears in Arizona on iNaturalist, from every year, and the reports from the last 30 days.

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1,011 research grade black bear reports from Arizona on iNaturalist, all years, by the month they were seen. Most come in June, fewest in February. Counted September 19, 2026. The bars count sightings people logged, not bears.

Reading the last 30 days of bear reports from iNaturalist.

Bears out in winter

How easily a denned bear is roused, in the words of NJ Fish and Wildlife:

While in torpor black bears are capable of being easily awakened if disturbed and they may leave their dens on mild winter days in search of food.

NJ Fish and Wildlife, Black Bear Biology and Behavior, read October 13, 2026
A cinnamon brown black bear walking through low shrubs and dry grass
A black bear at Great Sand Dunes, photographed by the park in spring as bears were coming out of their dens, hungry. “Black Bear, Great Sand Dunes National Park”, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Public domain
Questions

Bears in Arizona: questions and answers

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By state

Bear hibernation in the other 41 states

Other guides for Arizona

Bear Season in ArizonaFall activity and hunting dates by state.Hummingbird Migration in ArizonaWhen hummingbirds arrive and leave, and when to take feeders down.Winter Backyard Birds in ArizonaThe top feeder birds by state, December to February.Attic Wildlife in ArizonaWhen you may and may not evict animals from an attic.Bear Hibernation in every stateDen, wake and feeder dates for all 42 states, with the eight that have no dens.

Den, wake and feeder sentences are quoted from Arizona Game and Fish, nearby agencies where named and BearWise, read October 13, 2026. The phase and the feeder verdict are worked out from those months and today’s date. Bear reports are research grade iNaturalist observations of the American black bear, counted September 19, 2026.