Bear hibernationNevada

When Do Bears Hibernate in Nevada?

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

Today, October 13

The bears

Fattening up

Bears start going into their dens in early November.

Bird feeders

Feeders stay down most of the year

Bears here den late and wake early: by California Fish and Wildlife's den and wake months, January and February are the only months most are in their dens. So the window is short, about eight weeks: up in early January, down again in early March. Nevada Wildlife says black bears do not have to hibernate in a mild winter or where there is enough food, so even then, put a feeder up only if no bears are around.

Where these dates come from

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

Dens and feeders in Nevada

By California Fish and Wildlife's den and wake months

November to December

Into the den

per California Fish and Wildlife

March to May

Out of the den

per California Fish and Wildlife

Early January

Feeders up

once the dens are full

Early 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. Bears here den late and wake early, so feeders are up only about eight weeks a year. Nevada Wildlife says black bears do not have to hibernate in a mild winter or where there is enough food, so put one up only if no bears are around.

The sources

The dates, in the agencies’ own words

Into the den

Bears in Nevada go into their dens between November and December.

They generally enter their dens (which may be under fallen logs, in vegetation thickets, high up trees, in crevices, or even under decks and patios) in November-December and will remain there from a few weeks to several months depending on local climate and other conditions.

California Fish and Wildlife, Black Bear, read October 13, 2026. Its den months are used here for Nevada.

Out of the den

They come out between March and May.

Bears emerge from their dens in the spring, usually between March-May.

California Fish and Wildlife, Black Bear, read October 13, 2026. Its wake months are used here for Nevada.

The bird feeder

Up in early January, down again in early March: about eight weeks a year. The dates follow BearWise, the bear program state wildlife agencies run: remove feeders when bears are active. They are when dens are full and when bears start waking, by California Fish and Wildlife's den and wake months.

Nevada Wildlife says black bears do not have to hibernate in a mild winter or where there is enough food, so even in those weeks, put a feeder up only if no bears are around.

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 Nevada

Since the 1980s we have watched Nevada’s bear population in the western part of the state increase dramatically.

Nevada Wildlife, Living With Bears, 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

Month by month

The Nevada bear year

Where the bears are in each month, from the den and wake months above, and where the feeder stands.

January: In the den, feeders up only if no bears are around
February: In the den, feeders up only if no bears are around
March: Waking up, feeders down
April: Waking up, feeders down
May: Waking up, feeders down
June: Out and hungry, feeders down
July: Out and hungry, feeders down
August: Out and hungry, feeders down
September: Fattening up, feeders down
October: Fattening up, feeders down, this month
November: Denning now, feeders down
December: Denning now, feeders down

Maybe and Down mark where the feeder stands in the middle of each month. Maybe means up only if no bears are around: Nevada Wildlife says black bears do not have to hibernate in a mild winter or where there is enough food. The window is about eight weeks a year. The bar for this month is outlined.

Sightings

When Nevada bears are seen

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

219 research grade black bear reports from Nevada on iNaturalist, all years, by the month they were seen. Most come in October, fewest in February. 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 Nevada Wildlife says about bears out of the den in winter:

If a winter is particularly mild or there is enough food in their territory, Black Bears do not have to hibernate.

Nevada Wildlife, Black Bear, 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 Nevada: questions and answers

Do bears hibernate in Nevada?

When do bears go into their dens in Nevada?

When do bears come out of their dens in Nevada?

When should I take my bird feeder down in Nevada?

In early March, when the first bears wake. A feeder is up here for only about eight weeks a year, from early January to early March, and down the rest of the year. Nevada Wildlife says black bears do not have to hibernate in a mild winter or where there is enough food, so even in those weeks, leave it down if bears are around. BearWise, the bear program state wildlife agencies run: “When bears are active, the best option is to remove bird feeders.”

When can I put my bird feeder back up in Nevada?

Do bears come out in winter in Nevada?

When are bear cubs born in Nevada?

When are bears seen most in Nevada?

By state

Bear hibernation in the other 41 states

Other guides for Nevada

Bear Season in NevadaFall activity and hunting dates by state.Hummingbird Migration in NevadaWhen hummingbirds arrive and leave, and when to take feeders down.Winter Backyard Birds in NevadaThe top feeder birds by state, December to February.Attic Wildlife in NevadaWhen 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 Nevada Wildlife, 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.