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Bear hibernationTexas

When Do Bears Hibernate in Texas?

Texas bears are feeding hard before winter, and go into their dens in early November.

Today, October 13

The bears

Fattening up

Bears start going into their dens in early 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 Texas

By Texas Parks and Wildlife's den months and New Mexico Wildlife's wake months
Early November
Into the den
per Texas Parks and Wildlife
Late March to mid April
Out of the den
per New Mexico Wildlife
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 Texas go into their dens in early November.

Denning can start as early as November and continue until late May.

Texas Parks and Wildlife, Bear Safety for Hunters in Texas, read October 13, 2026

Out of the den

They come out between late March and mid April.

Young independent females and males den alone and may emerge as early as late March, depending on the weather.

New Mexico Wildlife, Black Bears of New Mexico, read October 13, 2026. Its wake months are used here for Texas.

The bird feeder

Down in late March, back up in early December. Texas Parks and Wildlife 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 Texas Parks and Wildlife's den months and New Mexico Wildlife's wake months.

Bears will typically move on if they are given space and if nearby attractants are secured, such as garbage, pet food, bird feeders, and deer feeders.

Texas Parks and Wildlife, Media Statement: Black Bear Sightings Confirmed in East Texas, read October 13, 2026

Bears in Texas

Currently, the only population of Black Bears in Texas is in the Trans-Pecos and Val Verde and Crockett counties.

Texas Parks and Wildlife, Black Bear (Ursus americanus), 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 Texas 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: Waking up, 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 Texas bears are seen

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

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556 research grade black bear reports from Texas on iNaturalist, all years, by the month they were seen. Most come in May, 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 Texas: questions and answers

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By state

Bear hibernation in the other 41 states

Other guides for Texas

Bear Season in TexasFall activity and hunting dates by state.Hummingbird Migration in TexasWhen hummingbirds arrive and leave, and when to take feeders down.Winter Backyard Birds in TexasThe top feeder birds by state, December to February.Attic Wildlife in TexasWhen 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 Texas Parks 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.