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Bear hibernationKentucky

When Do Bears Hibernate in Kentucky?

Kentucky bears are feeding hard before winter, and go into their dens in early December.

Today, October 13

The bears

Fattening up

Bears start going into their dens in early December.

Bird feeders

Keep feeders down until early January

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

Where these dates come from

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

Dens and feeders in Kentucky

By Kentucky Fish and Wildlife's den and wake months
Early December
Into the den
per Kentucky Fish and Wildlife
Late March to early April
Out of the den
per Kentucky Fish and Wildlife
Early January
Feeders up
once the dens are full
Late March
Feeders down again
when the first bears wake

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

The sources

The dates, in the agencies’ own words

Into the den and out

Bears in Kentucky go into their dens in early December and come out between late March and early April.

Black bears typically den during the winter months and emerge in late March or early April.

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, Black Bears, read October 13, 2026

The bird feeder

Up in early January, down again in late March. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife says to take feeders down while bears are active, in the words below. The dates are when dens are full and when bears start waking, by Kentucky Fish and Wildlife's den and wake months.

Remove bird feeders when bears are active

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, Black Bears, read October 13, 2026

Bears in Kentucky

This has resulted in Kentucky now being home to a resident bear population experiencing considerable increases in both numbers and range.

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, Black Bears, 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 Kentucky 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: Out and hungry, 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: Out and hungry, feeders down
  10. October: Fattening up, feeders down, this month
  11. November: Fattening up, feeders down
  12. December: Denning now, feeders down

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

Sightings

When Kentucky bears are seen

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

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117 research grade black bear reports from Kentucky on iNaturalist, all years, by the month they were seen. Most come in June, fewest in January. 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 Kentucky: questions and answers

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By state

Bear hibernation in the other 41 states

Other guides for Kentucky

Bear Season in KentuckyFall activity and hunting dates by state.Hummingbird Migration in KentuckyWhen hummingbirds arrive and leave, and when to take feeders down.Winter Backyard Birds in KentuckyThe top feeder birds by state, December to February.Attic Wildlife in KentuckyWhen 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 Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, 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.