Often, the quick meal is a carcass of an animal that has died during the winter (winter-kill), namely elk and bison. When bears come out of hibernation, they look for easy food sources. Black Bearsīlack bears den in lower elevations and therefore wake earlier, typically in late February.Sometimes, if there is a warm winter and food is available, the bears might emerge out of their dens to eat. After an unseasonably warm winter, bears may come out of hibernation as early as January or February. Females with cubs emerge later, in April to early May.

Male grizzlies come out of hibernation in mid to late March. In Springtime, Bears Emerge From Their Dens Grizzly Bear near Obsidian Creek on Ap(Photo: NPS/Jim Peaco) Grizzly Bears Bears maintain a body temperature close to normal during hibernation which lets them react to danger and sources of food faster than many other hibernating animals.

They live off of a layer of fat which was built-up during summer and autumn. Grizzly bears and black bears generally do not eat, drink, defecate, or urinate during hibernation. The denning period in Yellowstone National Park is approximately 5 months. When do Yellowstone Bears Hibernate and For How Long? Bear with her cubs in a den (Photo: Depositphotos)ĭepending on snowfall, temperature and food supply, bears get ready for winter hibernation in late November. Here what you need to know about the seasonal life of bears. But Yellowstone’s bears hibernate in the winter so they are hidden from view. Visitors to Yellowstone National Park have an excellent chance of seeing grizzly and black bears most of the year.

Bears hibernate