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Bear hibernationNew Jersey

When Do Bears Hibernate in New Jersey?

New Jersey bears are feeding hard before winter, and go into their dens between late October and early December.

Today, October 13

The bears

Fattening up

Bears start going into their dens in late October.

Bird feeders

Keep feeders down until December 1

NJ Fish and Wildlife gives December 1 as the day feeders can go back up.

Where these dates come from

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

Dens and feeders in New Jersey

By NJ Fish and Wildlife's den months and New York DEC's wake months
Late October to early December
Into the den
per NJ Fish and Wildlife
Late March to early April
Out of the den
per New York DEC
April 1
Feeders down
per NJ Fish and Wildlife
December 1
Feeders back up
per NJ Fish and Wildlife

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

The sources

The dates, in the agencies’ own words

Into the den

Bears in New Jersey go into their dens between late October and early December.

Impregnated females typically enter dens first, during the last week in October.

NJ Fish and Wildlife, Black Bear Biology and Behavior, read October 13, 2026

Out of the den

They come out between late March and early April.

In New York, bears emerge from their dens in late March or early April depending on snow cover, weather conditions and individual habits.

New York DEC, Hunting the Black Bear in New York, read October 13, 2026. Its wake months are used here for New Jersey.

On mothers with new cubs, NJ Fish and Wildlife:

Cubs and sows emerge from dens in April.

NJ Fish and Wildlife, Black Bear Biology and Behavior, read October 13, 2026

The bird feeder

Down by April 1, back up on December 1. Both dates are NJ Fish and Wildlife's.

If you choose to feed birds, do so during daylight hours only, between December 1 and April 1, when bears are least active.

NJ Fish and Wildlife, Be Bear Aware, read October 13, 2026

Bears in New Jersey

Black bear sightings have now been confirmed statewide.

NJ Fish and Wildlife, Black Bear Biology and Behavior, read October 13, 2026

Males may not enter dens until December.

NJ Fish and Wildlife, Black Bear Biology and Behavior, read October 13, 2026

Black bears are not true hibernators and may be active all year long.

NJ Fish and Wildlife, Black Bear Biology and Behavior, 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 New Jersey 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: Out and hungry, feeders down
  9. September: Fattening up, feeders down
  10. October: Fattening up, 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 New Jersey bears are seen

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

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716 research grade black bear reports from New Jersey 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

What NJ Fish and Wildlife says about bears out of the den in winter:

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 New Jersey: questions and answers

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By state

Bear hibernation in the other 41 states

Other guides for New Jersey

Bear Season in New JerseyFall activity and hunting dates by state.Hummingbird Migration in New JerseyWhen hummingbirds arrive and leave, and when to take feeders down.Winter Backyard Birds in New JerseyThe top feeder birds by state, December to February.Attic Wildlife in New JerseyWhen 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 NJ Fish and 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.