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Bear hibernationMichigan

When Do Bears Hibernate in Michigan?

Michigan bears are going into their dens in October.

Today, October 13

The bears

Denning now

Most bears are in their dens by early November.

Bird feeders

Keep feeders down until December

Michigan DNR says feeders can go back up in 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 Michigan

By Wisconsin DNR's den and wake months
October
Into the den
per Wisconsin DNR
Late March to early April
Out of the den
per Wisconsin DNR
April
Feeders down
per Michigan DNR
December
Feeders back up
per Michigan DNR

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

The sources

The dates, in the agencies’ own words

Into the den and out

Bears in Michigan go into their dens in October and come out between late March and early April.

Most bears enter their dens sometime in October and emerge in late March or early April.

Wisconsin DNR, Black Bears in Wisconsin, read October 13, 2026. Its den months are used here for Michigan.

The bird feeder

Down in April, back up in December. Both dates are Michigan DNR's.

Remove bird feeders from April through November.

Michigan DNR, Black bears, read October 13, 2026

Bears in Michigan

There are an estimated 10,350 black bears throughout the Upper Peninsula, while the Lower Peninsula is home to 2,100 bears, according to a 2024 DNR survey.

Michigan DNR, Michigan is bear country. And here they come!, 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 Michigan 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: Fattening up, feeders down
  9. September: Fattening up, feeders down
  10. October: Denning now, feeders down, this month
  11. November: In the den, 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 Michigan bears are seen

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

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456 research grade black bear reports from Michigan on iNaturalist, all years, by the month they were seen. Most come in June, fewest in December. 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

What Michigan DNR says about bears out of the den in winter:

In March, some black bears leave their dens to walk around, stretch their legs and then go back to sleep.

Michigan DNR, Michigan is bear country. And here they come!, 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 Michigan: questions and answers

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By state

Bear hibernation in the other 41 states

Other guides for Michigan

Bear Season in MichiganFall activity and hunting dates by state.Hummingbird Migration in MichiganWhen hummingbirds arrive and leave, and when to take feeders down.Winter Backyard Birds in MichiganThe top feeder birds by state, December to February.Attic Wildlife in MichiganWhen 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 Michigan 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.