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Bear hibernationPennsylvania

When Do Bears Hibernate in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania

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
Late March
Feeders down
when the first bears wake
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.

The sources

The dates, in the agencies’ own words

Into the den

Bears in Pennsylvania 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

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 Pennsylvania.

The bird feeder

Down in late March, back up in early December. Pennsylvania Game Commission says to take feeders down while bears are active, in the words below. The dates are when bears start waking and when dens are full, by Pennsylvania Game Commission's den months and New York DEC's wake months.

So if you don’t feel like feeding the squirrels or having bears possibly tear down your feeders, the Game Commission recommends you consider bringing your feeders in for the summer, or at least at night.

Pennsylvania Game Commission, Nuisance Wildlife, read October 13, 2026

Bears in Pennsylvania

In Pennsylvania, bears are found in large forested areas statewide.

Pennsylvania Game Commission, Black Bear, read October 13, 2026

Females give birth to cubs during early January while in the winter den.

Pennsylvania Game Commission, Black Bear, read October 13, 2026

During hibernation, bears are alert and capable of fleeing or defending the den.

Pennsylvania Game Commission, 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania bears are seen

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

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1,349 research grade black bear reports from Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania Game Commission says about bears out of the den in winter:

On warm, late-winter days, they might emerge and wander nearby.

Pennsylvania Game Commission, 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 Pennsylvania: questions and answers

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By state

Bear hibernation in the other 41 states

Other guides for Pennsylvania

Bear Season in PennsylvaniaFall activity and hunting dates by state.Hummingbird Migration in PennsylvaniaWhen hummingbirds arrive and leave, and when to take feeders down.Winter Backyard Birds in PennsylvaniaThe top feeder birds by state, December to February.Attic Wildlife in PennsylvaniaWhen 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 Pennsylvania Game Commission, 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.