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Bear hibernationMissouri

When Do Bears Hibernate in Missouri?

Missouri bears are going into their dens between October and November.

Today, October 13

The bears

Denning now

Most bears are in their dens by early December.

Bird feeders

Keep feeders down until December

Missouri Conservation 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 Missouri

By Missouri Conservation's den and wake months
October to November
Into the den
per Missouri Conservation
Early April
Out of the den
per Missouri Conservation
April
Feeders down
per Missouri Conservation
December
Feeders back up
per Missouri Conservation

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

The sources

The dates, in the agencies’ own words

Into the den

Bears in Missouri go into their dens between October and November.

After this developmental hiatus (called delayed implantation), the eggs continue development about the time that bears enter hibernation, in October or November.

Missouri Conservation, American Black Bear, read October 13, 2026

Out of the den

They come out in early April.

Winter inactivity usually extends into April, when bears leave their winter quarters and feed heavily.

Missouri Conservation, American Black Bear, read October 13, 2026

The bird feeder

Down in April, back up in December. Both dates are Missouri Conservation's.

Don’t use birdfeeders from April through November in bear country.

Missouri Conservation, Be BearWise, read October 13, 2026

Bears in Missouri

Once thought to be extirpated from Missouri, the American black bear population has grown and expanded to the point that a highly regulated hunting season was established.

Missouri Conservation, American 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 Missouri 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: Fattening up, feeders down
  9. September: Fattening up, feeders down
  10. October: Denning now, feeders down, this month
  11. November: Denning now, 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 Missouri bears are seen

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

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35 research grade black bear reports from Missouri 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 Missouri: questions and answers

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By state

Bear hibernation in the other 41 states

Other guides for Missouri

Bear Season in MissouriFall activity and hunting dates by state.Hummingbird Migration in MissouriWhen hummingbirds arrive and leave, and when to take feeders down.Winter Backyard Birds in MissouriThe top feeder birds by state, December to February.Attic Wildlife in MissouriWhen 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 Missouri Conservation, 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.