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Bear hibernationWashington

When Do Bears Hibernate in Washington?

Washington bears are feeding hard before winter, and go into their dens between mid October and November.

Today, October 13

The bears

Fattening up

Bears start going into their dens in mid October.

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 Washington

By Idaho Fish and Game's den and wake months
Mid October to November
Into the den
per Idaho Fish and Game
Mid April to May
Out of the den
per Idaho Fish and Game
Mid April
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 and out

Bears in Washington go into their dens between mid October and November and come out between mid April and May.

In Idaho, black bears will enter dens from mid-October through November and emerge in midApril to May (Beecham and Rohlman 1994).

Idaho Fish and Game, Draft Black Bear Management Plan, read October 13, 2026. Its den months are used here for Washington.

The bird feeder

Down in mid April, back up in early December. Washington Fish 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 Idaho Fish and Game's den and wake months.

Take down seed and hummingbird feeders until winter.

Washington Fish and Wildlife, Prevent conflicts with hungry bears this spring, read October 13, 2026

Bears in Washington

American black bears are the most common and widely distributed bears in North America and occur throughout most of Washington with the exception of the Columbia Basin.

Washington Fish and Wildlife, Black bear, read October 13, 2026

Grizzly bears also occur in Washington, but populations are currently limited to Northeast Washington.

Washington Fish and 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 Washington 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: Waking up, 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: Denning now, 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 Washington bears are seen

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

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2,175 research grade black bear reports from Washington on iNaturalist, all years, by the month they were seen. Most come in August, 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 Washington: questions and answers

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By state

Bear hibernation in the other 41 states

Other guides for Washington

Bear Season in WashingtonFall activity and hunting dates by state.Hummingbird Migration in WashingtonWhen hummingbirds arrive and leave, and when to take feeders down.Winter Backyard Birds in WashingtonThe top feeder birds by state, December to February.Attic Wildlife in WashingtonWhen 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 Washington 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.