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Bear hibernationMinnesota

When Do Bears Hibernate in Minnesota?

Minnesota 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 early November

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

Where these dates come from

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

Dens and feeders in Minnesota

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
Late March
Feeders down
when the first bears wake
Early November
Feeders back up
once the dens are full

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

The sources

The dates, in the agencies’ own words

Into the den and out

Bears in Minnesota 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 Minnesota.

On mothers with new cubs, Minnesota DNR:

In Minnesota litters are most often of three cubs (average 2.6), which by mid-March weigh five or six pounds. They leave the den usually in early April and remain with the mother for 17 months, hibernating with her when they are 1 year old.

Minnesota DNR, Black bear, read October 13, 2026

The bird feeder

Down in late March, back up in early November. The dates follow BearWise, the bear program state wildlife agencies run: remove feeders when bears are active. They are when bears start waking and when dens are full, by Wisconsin DNR's den and wake months.

When bears are active, the best option is to remove bird feeders.

BearWise, Remove Bird Feeders When Bears are Active, read October 13, 2026

Bears in Minnesota

There are roughly 13,000-18,000 black bears in Minnesota.

Minnesota DNR, Black bear, read October 13, 2026

Bears hibernate in their dens during winter, for as long as six or seven months, living off their stored body fat.

Minnesota DNR, 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
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Month by month

The Minnesota 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 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 Minnesota bears are seen

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

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1,043 research grade black bear reports from Minnesota 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

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 Minnesota: questions and answers

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By state

Bear hibernation in the other 41 states

Other guides for Minnesota

Bear Season in MinnesotaFall activity and hunting dates by state.Hummingbird Migration in MinnesotaWhen hummingbirds arrive and leave, and when to take feeders down.Winter Backyard Birds in MinnesotaThe top feeder birds by state, December to February.Attic Wildlife in MinnesotaWhen 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 Minnesota 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.