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Bear hibernationNorth Carolina

When Do Bears Hibernate in North Carolina?

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

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 NC Wildlife's den and wake months, February is the only month most are in their dens. So the window is short, about four weeks: up in early February, down again in early March. NC Wildlife says male bears in North Carolina's coastal plain may stay active all winter, 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 North Carolina

By NC Wildlife's den and wake months
November to January
Into the den
per NC Wildlife
March to early April
Out of the den
per NC Wildlife
Early February
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 four weeks a year. NC Wildlife says male bears in North Carolina's coastal plain may stay active all winter, so put one up only if no bears are around.

The sources

The dates, in the agencies’ own words

Into the den

Bears in North Carolina go into their dens between November and January.

In North Carolina, den entry can occur as early as November or as late as January, though male bears in the coastal plain region may [be] active throughout winter.

NC Wildlife, Black Bear, read October 13, 2026

Out of the den

They come out between March and early April.

Most North Carolina bears emerge from their dens in March or early April, depending on the weather and mobility of their cubs.

NC Wildlife, Black Bear, read October 13, 2026

The bird feeder

Up in early February, down again in early March: about four weeks a year. NC Wildlife says to take feeders down while bears are active, in the words below. The dates are when dens are full and when bears start waking, by NC Wildlife's den and wake months.

NC Wildlife says male bears in North Carolina's coastal plain may stay active all winter, so even in those weeks, put a feeder up only if no bears are around.

Remove bird feeders when bears are active.

NC Wildlife, Black Bears Are on the Move Through Central North Carolina, read October 13, 2026

Bears in North Carolina

Black bears were once restricted to remote areas and reached very low population levels in the mid-1900s.

NC Wildlife, 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 North Carolina bear year

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

  1. January: Denning now, feeders down
  2. February: In the den, feeders up only if no bears are around
  3. March: Waking up, feeders down
  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: 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: NC Wildlife says male bears in North Carolina's coastal plain may stay active all winter. The window is about four weeks a year. The bar for this month is outlined.

Sightings

When North Carolina bears are seen

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

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3,697 research grade black bear reports from North Carolina 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

NC Wildlife says male bears in North Carolina's coastal plain may stay active all winter, in the den sentence quoted above.

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 North Carolina: questions and answers

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By state

Bear hibernation in the other 41 states

Other guides for North Carolina

Bear Season in North CarolinaFall activity and hunting dates by state.Hummingbird Migration in North CarolinaWhen hummingbirds arrive and leave, and when to take feeders down.Winter Backyard Birds in North CarolinaThe top feeder birds by state, December to February.Attic Wildlife in North CarolinaWhen 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 NC 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.