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Bear hibernationMaryland

When Do Bears Hibernate in Maryland?

Maryland bears are feeding hard before winter, and go into their dens between late November and December.

Today, October 13

The bears

Fattening up

Bears start going into their dens in late November.

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 Maryland

By Maryland DNR's den months and Virginia Wildlife Resources' wake months
Late November to December
Into the den
per Maryland DNR
Mid March to early May
Out of the den
per Virginia Wildlife Resources
Early January
Feeders up
once the dens are full
Mid 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

Bears in Maryland go into their dens between late November and December.

Typically, Maryland black bears den in late November through December, pending on the weather.

Maryland DNR, Black Bear Fact Sheet, read October 13, 2026

Out of the den

They come out between mid March and early May.

They emerge from their dens from mid-March to early May.

Virginia Wildlife Resources, Black Bear, read October 13, 2026. Its wake months are used here for Maryland.

The bird feeder

Up in early January, down again in mid March. Maryland DNR 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 Maryland DNR's den months and Virginia Wildlife Resources' wake months.

Remove bird feeders in the spring.

Maryland DNR, Living with Black Bears, read October 13, 2026

Bears in Maryland

Populations are highest in Garrett and Allegany counties, with bear numbers rising in the remaining areas.

Maryland DNR, Black Bear Fact Sheet, 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 Maryland 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: Waking up, feeders down
  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: 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 Maryland bears are seen

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

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

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By state

Bear hibernation in the other 41 states

Other guides for Maryland

Bear Season in MarylandFall activity and hunting dates by state.Hummingbird Migration in MarylandWhen hummingbirds arrive and leave, and when to take feeders down.Winter Backyard Birds in MarylandThe top feeder birds by state, December to February.Attic Wildlife in MarylandWhen 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 Maryland DNR, 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.