The suet hub

Suet feeding dates by state

Suet runs on temperature, not migration — the woodpeckers, nuthatches, and chickadees are here all year, but suet only matters (and only keeps) once the cold arrives. Start when frosts do, stop when raw fat starts to spoil, and mind the bears in between.

Alabama — feeders out by November 1 Alaska — feeders out by Any month; September for the winter ramp-up Arizona — feeders out by November 15 in the deserts, October 1 above the Rim Arkansas — feeders out by November 1 California — feeders out by November 1 (mountains: October 1) Colorado — feeders out by September 15 Connecticut — feeders out by October 1 Delaware — feeders out by October 15 Florida — feeders out by December 1 in north Florida; skip it from Orlando south Georgia — feeders out by November 1 Hawaii — feeders out by Not applicable Idaho — feeders out by September 15 Illinois — feeders out by October 1 Indiana — feeders out by October 1 Iowa — feeders out by October 1 Kansas — feeders out by October 15 Kentucky — feeders out by October 15 Louisiana — feeders out by November 15 Maine — feeders out by September 15 Maryland — feeders out by October 15 Massachusetts — feeders out by October 1 Michigan — feeders out by September 15 in the U.P., October 1 downstate Minnesota — feeders out by September 15 Mississippi — feeders out by November 1 Missouri — feeders out by October 15 Montana — feeders out by September 1 Nebraska — feeders out by October 1 Nevada — feeders out by October 15 (Las Vegas: December 1, briefly) New Hampshire — feeders out by September 15 New Jersey — feeders out by October 15 New Mexico — feeders out by October 1 New York — feeders out by September 15 upstate, October 1 downstate North Carolina — feeders out by November 1 (mountains: October 1) North Dakota — feeders out by September 1 Ohio — feeders out by October 1 Oklahoma — feeders out by November 1 Oregon — feeders out by October 1 for the winter ramp-up; no-melt dough works any month west of the Cascades Pennsylvania — feeders out by October 1 Rhode Island — feeders out by October 15 South Carolina — feeders out by November 1 South Dakota — feeders out by September 15 Tennessee — feeders out by November 1 (mountains: October 1) Texas — feeders out by November 15 in the north and Hill Country; skip raw suet south of San Antonio Utah — feeders out by September 15 Vermont — feeders out by September 15 Virginia — feeders out by October 15 Washington — feeders out by October 1 for the winter ramp-up; no-melt works any month west of the Cascades West Virginia — feeders out by October 1 Wisconsin — feeders out by September 15 Wyoming — feeders out by September 1
Start suet in September Start suet in October Start suet in November Suet works all year Skip suet

Start suet in September

Start suet in October

Start suet in November

Suet works all year

Skip suet

Skip the store-bought cakes: one part fat, one part peanut butter, three parts dry mix — scale it to your molds.

Suet cake recipe calculator

The suet birds

Suet is the single best way to bring woodpeckers to a yard — start with the species guide or jump to a bird:

The three suet rules

Start with the frost. Once daily highs sit below about 70°F, raw suet keeps — and once insects disappear under bark, the birds need it. In the northern tier that's September; along the Gulf it's November.

Stop with the heat. Warm raw suet turns rancid in days and can foul feathers. When spring highs pass 70°F, switch to heat-stable no-melt dough or pause until fall — your state page has the date.

Respect bear season. Across New England, the upper Midwest, the mountain West, and the Appalachians, wildlife agencies ask for feeders down (or brought in nightly) from spring wake-up to late-fall denning. In bear country, suet is a winter craft — and that's when birds need it most anyway.