Skip to content

Bear hibernationWest Virginia

When Do Bears Hibernate in West Virginia?

West Virginia bears are going into their dens between October and January.

Today, October 13

The bears

Denning now

Most bears are in their dens by early February.

Bird feeders

Feeders stay down most of the year

Bears here den late and wake early: by Virginia Wildlife Resources' den and wake months, most are in their dens only from early February to mid March. So the window is short, about six weeks: up in early February by those den months, and down again in mid March, West Virginia DNR's own date.

Where these dates come from

Photo: “Black bear on a snowy spring day”, Neal Herbert, National Park Service, Public domain

Dens and feeders in West Virginia

By Virginia Wildlife Resources' den and wake months
October to January
Into the den
per Virginia Wildlife Resources
Mid March to early May
Out of the den
per Virginia Wildlife Resources
Early February
Feeders up
once the dens are full
Mid March
Feeders down again
per West Virginia DNR

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, except the day to take them down, which is West Virginia DNR's. Bears here den late and wake early, so feeders are up only about six weeks a year.

The sources

The dates, in the agencies’ own words

Into the den

Bears in West Virginia go into their dens between October and January.

Depending on weather and food conditions, black bears enter their winter dens between October and January.

Virginia Wildlife Resources, Black Bear, read October 13, 2026. Its den months are used here for West Virginia.

Out of the den

They come out between mid March and early May.

They emerge from their dens from mid-March to early May.

Virginia Wildlife Resources, Black Bear, read October 13, 2026. Its wake months are used here for West Virginia.

The bird feeder

Up in early February, down again in mid March: about six weeks a year. The day to put them up, early February, is when the dens are full by Virginia Wildlife Resources' den months; the day to take them down, mid March, is West Virginia DNR's own.

Take down bird feeders before mid-March.

West Virginia DNR, Basics for Avoiding Human-Bear Conflicts This Spring, read October 13, 2026

Take down all bird feeders, hummingbird feeders, squirrel feeders and deer feeders.

West Virginia DNR, WVDNR reports increased nuisance bear activity around the state, read October 13, 2026

Bears in West Virginia

West Virginia has a statewide bear population, so there are no places to move large numbers of bears where they don’t currently exist.

West Virginia DNR, WVDNR reports increased nuisance bear activity around the state, 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
Advertisement
Month by month

The West Virginia 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
  3. March: Waking up, feeders down
  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: Fattening up, feeders down
  9. September: Fattening up, feeders down
  10. October: Denning now, feeders down, this month
  11. November: Denning now, feeders down
  12. December: Denning now, feeders down

Up and Down mark where the feeder stands in the middle of each month. Feeders are up here only about six weeks a year, so most months read Down. The bar for this month is outlined.

Sightings

When West Virginia bears are seen

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

JFMAMJJASOND
492 research grade black bear reports from West Virginia on iNaturalist, all years, by the month they were seen. Most come in July, 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 West Virginia: questions and answers

Advertisement
By state

Bear hibernation in the other 41 states

Other guides for West Virginia

Bear Season in West VirginiaFall activity and hunting dates by state.Hummingbird Migration in West VirginiaWhen hummingbirds arrive and leave, and when to take feeders down.Winter Backyard Birds in West VirginiaThe top feeder birds by state, December to February.Attic Wildlife in West VirginiaWhen 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 West Virginia DNR, 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.