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Bear hibernationNew York

When Do Bears Hibernate in New York?

New York bears are feeding hard before winter, and go into their dens in mid to late November.

Today, October 13

The bears

Fattening up

Bears start going into their dens in mid November.

Bird feeders

Keep feeders down until early December

Feeders go back up once bears are in their dens, in early 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 New York

By Pennsylvania Game Commission's den months and New York DEC's wake months
Mid to late November
Into the den
per Pennsylvania Game Commission
Late March to early April
Out of the den
per New York DEC
April 1
Feeders down
per New York DEC
Early December
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, except the day to take them down, which is New York DEC's.

The sources

The dates, in the agencies’ own words

Into the den

Bears in New York go into their dens in mid to late November.

Bears enter hibernation late in the fall, with pregnant females being the first to enter dens, typically during mid to late November.

Pennsylvania Game Commission, Black Bear, read October 13, 2026. Its den months are used here for New York.

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

The bird feeder

Down by April 1, back up in early December. The date to take them down is New York DEC's. The date to put them back is when dens are full, by Pennsylvania Game Commission's den months.

Take down bird feeders after April 1.

New York DEC, DEC Issues Guidance to Homeowners to Avoid Problems with Bears, read October 13, 2026

Birds do not need supplemental food in the spring and summer, when natural foods are most abundant (even if you believe your birdfeeder to be inaccessible to bears, the birds will drop seed on the ground, which attracts bears to your yard).

New York DEC, DEC Issues Guidance to Homeowners to Avoid Problems with Bears, read October 13, 2026

Bears in New York

Currently estimated at a minimum of 6,000-8,000 bears in areas open to hunting

New York DEC, Black Bear, read October 13, 2026

Black bears can remain dormant for up to 5 months in winter.

New York DEC, 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 New York 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: Out and hungry, 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 York bears are seen

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

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2,165 research grade black bear reports from New York on iNaturalist, all years, by the month they were seen. Most come in June, 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

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 New York: questions and answers

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By state

Bear hibernation in the other 41 states

Other guides for New York

Bear Season in New YorkFall activity and hunting dates by state.Hummingbird Migration in New YorkWhen hummingbirds arrive and leave, and when to take feeders down.Winter Backyard Birds in New YorkThe top feeder birds by state, December to February.Attic Wildlife in New YorkWhen 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 New York DEC, 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.