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Bear hibernationMaine

When Do Bears Hibernate in Maine?

Maine 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 November 1

Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife gives November 1 as the day feeders can go back up.

Where these dates come from

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

Dens and feeders in Maine

By Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife's den and wake months
Early November
Into the den
per Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Early April
Out of the den
per Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
April 1
Feeders down
per Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
November 1
Feeders back up
per Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife

Bears go into their dens over several weeks and come out over several more, so each is a span. Both feeder dates are Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife's own, quoted below.

The sources

The dates, in the agencies’ own words

Into the den and out

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

To prevent conflicts with black bears each year when bears are active (April 1-November 1): Bring in your bird feeders, rake up and dispose of any seed left on the ground, and store unused seed inside.

Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Black Bears, read October 13, 2026

The bird feeder

Down by April 1, back up on November 1. Both dates are Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife's. They are in the den sentence quoted above.

Bears in Maine

In Maine, black bears are found nearly statewide, but are most common in northern, northwestern and eastern Maine and are less commonly found in the heavily settled southern and central-coastal regions.

Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Black Bears, read October 13, 2026

In winter, black bears enter a state of torpor in their winter dens, lowering their metabolism and body temperature moderately to conserve energy and resources.

Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Black Bears, read October 13, 2026

After an approximately 60-day gestation period, female bears give birth to 1-4 cubs inside the winter den in January.

Maine Inland Fisheries 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 Maine 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 up
  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 Maine bears are seen

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

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328 research grade black bear reports from Maine 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 Maine: questions and answers

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By state

Bear hibernation in the other 41 states

Other guides for Maine

Bear Season in MaineFall activity and hunting dates by state.Hummingbird Migration in MaineWhen hummingbirds arrive and leave, and when to take feeders down.Winter Backyard Birds in MaineThe top feeder birds by state, December to February.Attic Wildlife in MaineWhen 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 Maine Inland Fisheries 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.