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Bear hibernationWyoming

When Do Bears Hibernate in Wyoming?

Wyoming 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 December

Wyoming Game and Fish says feeders can go back up in 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 Wyoming

By Montana FWP's den months and Wyoming Game and Fish's wake months
Early November
Into the den
per Montana FWP
Early March
Out of the den
per Wyoming Game and Fish
Early March
Feeders down
when the first bears wake
December
Feeders back up
per Wyoming Game and Fish

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, except the day to put them up, which is Wyoming Game and Fish's.

The sources

The dates, in the agencies’ own words

Into the den

Bears in Wyoming go into their dens in early November.

In Montana, bears typically den for 5 to 6 months during wintertime (approximately November-March).

Montana FWP, Bears In Montana, read October 13, 2026. Its den months are used here for Wyoming.

Out of the den

They come out in early March.

Bears begin to emerge from their dens as early as March, groggily in search of spring’s early green grasses and winter-killed ungulates to eat.

Wyoming Game and Fish, Dan, how is bear hibernation different than sleep?, read October 13, 2026

The bird feeder

Down in early March, back up in December. The date to put them back is Wyoming Game and Fish's. The date to take them down is when bears start waking, by Wyoming Game and Fish's wake months.

Take down bird feeders and do not put them back up until December.

Wyoming Game and Fish, Bear activity in the Sheridan Region, read October 13, 2026

Feed suet only during the winter months, and suspend hummingbird feeders out of reach of bears — at least 10 feet off the ground and 4 feet away from any tree trunk or pole.

Wyoming Game and Fish, Moving into fall means increased bear activity, read October 13, 2026

Bears in Wyoming

Black bears and grizzly bears slow their bodies way down — more than during mere sleep — for hibernation to survive about five months in their dens.

Wyoming Game and Fish, Dan, how is bear hibernation different than sleep?, 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 Wyoming 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: 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: 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 Wyoming bears are seen

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

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3,407 research grade black bear reports from Wyoming on iNaturalist, all years, by the month they were seen. Most come in June, fewest in December. 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 Wyoming: questions and answers

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By state

Bear hibernation in the other 41 states

Other guides for Wyoming

Bear Season in WyomingFall activity and hunting dates by state.Hummingbird Migration in WyomingWhen hummingbirds arrive and leave, and when to take feeders down.Winter Backyard Birds in WyomingThe top feeder birds by state, December to February.Attic Wildlife in WyomingWhen 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 Wyoming Game and Fish, 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.