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Bear hibernationMississippi

When Do Bears Hibernate in Mississippi?

Mississippi bears are feeding hard before winter, and go into their dens between November and early January.

Today, October 13

The bears

Fattening up

Bears start going into their dens in early November.

Bird feeders

Keep feeders down where bears are common

Mississippi Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks gives one rule for the whole year.

Where these dates come from

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

Dens and feeders in Mississippi

By Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries' den and wake months
November to early January
Into the den
per Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries
March to April
Out of the den
per Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries
All year
Bird feeders
Keep feeders down where bears are common

Bears go into their dens over several weeks and come out over several more, so each is a span. Mississippi Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks gives one feeder rule for the whole year, quoted below.

The sources

The dates, in the agencies’ own words

Into the den

Bears in Mississippi go into their dens between November and early January.

Louisiana black bears enter dens between November and early January, depending on latitude, food availability, gender, age, reproductive status, and climatic conditions (Weaver 1990, Hightower et al. 2002).

Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries, Louisiana Black Bear Management Plan, read October 13, 2026. Its den months are used here for Mississippi.

Out of the den

They come out between March and April.

At the end of the dormancy period (March–April), females with cubs are usually the last to leave the den.

Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries, Louisiana Black Bear Management Plan, read October 13, 2026. Its wake months are used here for Mississippi.

On mothers with new cubs, Mississippi Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks:

Upon emerging from the den, the reverse is seen, with males becoming active first, and females who have recently given birth being the last to end their denning season.

Mississippi Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, Black Bear Program, read October 13, 2026

The bird feeder

Keep feeders down where bears are common. Mississippi Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks' guidance holds all year, so it has no dates.

However, in areas where bears are common, the only solution may be to remove the feeder indefinitely.

Mississippi Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, Living with Bears, read October 13, 2026

Bears in Mississippi

The American black bear ( Ursus americanus ) is found in the northern one-third of the state, and the Louisiana black bear ( Ursus americanus luteolus ) occurs in the southern two-thirds.

Mississippi Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, Black Bear Program, read October 13, 2026

Cubs weigh only 8 ounces at birth but will weigh 4 to 5 pounds when they emerge from the den in April.

Mississippi Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, Black Bear Program, 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 Mississippi 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
  2. February: In the den
  3. March: Waking up
  4. April: Waking up
  5. May: Out and hungry
  6. June: Out and hungry
  7. July: Out and hungry
  8. August: Out and hungry
  9. September: Fattening up
  10. October: Fattening up, this month
  11. November: Denning now
  12. December: Denning now

Keep feeders down where bears are common: Mississippi Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks gives one rule for the whole year, so no month is marked up or down. The bar for this month is outlined.

Sightings

When Mississippi bears are seen

Black bear sightings in Mississippi are few: 14 research grade reports on iNaturalist across all years. Here are the last 30 days.

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 Mississippi: questions and answers

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By state

Bear hibernation in the other 41 states

Other guides for Mississippi

Bear Season in MississippiFall activity and hunting dates by state.Hummingbird Migration in MississippiWhen hummingbirds arrive and leave, and when to take feeders down.Winter Backyard Birds in MississippiThe top feeder birds by state, December to February.Attic Wildlife in MississippiWhen 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 Mississippi Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, 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.