Skip to content

Bear hibernationConnecticut

When Do Bears Hibernate in Connecticut?

Connecticut bears are feeding hard before winter, and go into their dens in late November.

Today, October 13

The bears

Fattening up

Bears start going into their dens in late November.

Bird feeders

Keep feeders down all year

Connecticut DEEP allows feeders from mid December through February where no bears are active.

Where these dates come from

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

Dens and feeders in Connecticut

By Connecticut DEEP's den and wake months
Late November
Into the den
per Connecticut DEEP
Mid March
Out of the den
per Connecticut DEEP
All year
Bird feeders
Keep feeders down all year

Bears go into their dens over several weeks and come out over several more, so each is a span. Connecticut DEEP gives one feeder rule for the whole year, quoted below.

The sources

The dates, in the agencies’ own words

Into the den and out

Bears in Connecticut go into their dens in late November and come out in mid March.

In Connecticut, most bears den from late November through mid-March.

Connecticut DEEP, Black Bear, read October 13, 2026

The bird feeder

Keep feeders down all year. Connecticut DEEP's guidance holds all year, so it has no dates.

Avoid putting out birdfeeders (including hummingbird and suet feeders) at any time of year.

Connecticut DEEP, The Basics of Living with Black Bears, read October 13, 2026

Bears are typically less active from mid-December through the end of February, so birdfeeders may be put out during that timeframe in areas with no bear activity.

Connecticut DEEP, Black Bear, read October 13, 2026

Bears in Connecticut

The resident population, including juveniles, is estimated to be around 1,200.

Connecticut DEEP, 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
Advertisement
Month by month

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

Keep feeders down all year: Connecticut DEEP gives one rule for the whole year, so no month is marked up or down. The bar for this month is outlined.

Sightings

When Connecticut bears are seen

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

JFMAMJJASOND
1,015 research grade black bear reports from Connecticut 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 Connecticut: questions and answers

Advertisement
By state

Bear hibernation in the other 41 states

Other guides for Connecticut

Bear Season in ConnecticutFall activity and hunting dates by state.Hummingbird Migration in ConnecticutWhen hummingbirds arrive and leave, and when to take feeders down.Winter Backyard Birds in ConnecticutThe top feeder birds by state, December to February.Attic Wildlife in ConnecticutWhen 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 Connecticut DEEP, 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.