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Bear hibernationArkansas

When Do Bears Hibernate in Arkansas?

Arkansas bears are going into their dens between October and November.

Today, October 13

The bears

Denning now

Most bears are in their dens by early December.

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 Arkansas

By Missouri Conservation's den months and Arkansas Game and Fish's wake months
October to November
Into the den
per Missouri Conservation
Late March
Out of the den
per Arkansas Game and Fish
Late March
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

Bears in Arkansas go into their dens between October and November.

After this developmental hiatus (called delayed implantation), the eggs continue development about the time that bears enter hibernation, in October or November.

Missouri Conservation, American Black Bear, read October 13, 2026. Its den months are used here for Arkansas.

Out of the den

They come out in late March.

Black bears emerge from their winter dens beginning in late March in Arkansas.

Arkansas Game and Fish, Bear sightings almost a spring certainty, read October 13, 2026

The bird feeder

Down in late March, back up in early December. Arkansas Game and Fish says to take feeders down while bears are active, in the words below. The dates are when bears start waking and when dens are full, by Missouri Conservation's den months and Arkansas Game and Fish's wake months.

Wildlife feeders are unnecessary, especially in spring and early summer, and they attract all sorts of wildlife, including young bears who often destroy property to get to the free food.

Arkansas Game and Fish, Avoid an 'un-bear-able' situation this spring, read October 13, 2026

Emptying wildlife feeders until late summer

Arkansas Game and Fish, Avoid an 'un-bear-able' situation this spring, read October 13, 2026

Bears in Arkansas

The Natural State’s bear population is definitely a source of pride for many wildlife enthusiasts here in Arkansas, but it also means the occasional male bear wanders too close to town when on the search for new territory each May and June.

Arkansas Game and Fish, Summer Travels Can Land Bears in Hot Water, 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 Arkansas 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: Fattening up, feeders down
  9. September: Fattening up, feeders down
  10. October: Denning now, 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 Arkansas bears are seen

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

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1,623 research grade black bear reports from Arkansas on iNaturalist, all years, by the month they were seen. Most come in July, 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 Arkansas: questions and answers

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By state

Bear hibernation in the other 41 states

Other guides for Arkansas

Bear Season in ArkansasFall activity and hunting dates by state.Hummingbird Migration in ArkansasWhen hummingbirds arrive and leave, and when to take feeders down.Winter Backyard Birds in ArkansasThe top feeder birds by state, December to February.Attic Wildlife in ArkansasWhen 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 Arkansas 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.