Every year after Halloween, the same scene repeats itself in yards across the country: carved pumpkins left on the porch or tossed into the woods “for the animals.” It feels like a kind gesture. Wildlife officials in several states say it can cause real problems, for the animals and for you.
In short
- Pumpkins left outside attract bears, deer, javelina and coyotes into neighborhoods.
- Deer drawn to pumpkins can, in turn, draw predators such as mountain lions.
- Rotting pumpkins gather animals that can spread disease, and painted pumpkins can be toxic.
- Plastic pumpkin buckets are another hidden danger for deer.
A treat that brings trouble
In Colorado, wildlife officials ask residents every year to properly dispose of their pumpkins rather than leave them out. “Bears are attracted to the pumpkins as they look to pile on calories during the last days before denning season,” Colorado Parks and Wildlife explains. That can lead to conflicts between people and bears right next to homes.
Bears aren’t the only concern. Deer feeding on pumpkins can draw mountain lions into residential areas, the agency warns. And “intentionally feeding wildlife is illegal in Colorado.”
“Like candy for javelina”
In Arizona, the Game and Fish Department gives the same advice. “A ripened pumpkin sitting outdoors is like candy for javelina,” urban wildlife specialist Darren Julian said, as reported by KTAR. “Habituating wildlife to human food sources can lead to property damage.” In Arizona, feeding wildlife other than birds and squirrels is a petty offense, with fines of up to $300.
Disease, paint and wax
A pile of rotting pumpkins also brings raccoons and other animals together in one spot, which can help spread disease, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Painted pumpkins are another issue: the agency cites the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which advises against painting pumpkins because the paint can be toxic to wildlife. Pumpkins with melted candle wax aren’t accepted at donation points for the same reason.
The other Halloween hazard: plastic buckets
In Ohio, the Department of Natural Resources has warned about a different decoration: plastic pumpkin buckets. “The plastic handles tend to get stuck on their heads by the ears, making it impossible for the deer to remove them without help,” the agency said, as NewsNation reported. Its advice: keep them inside, or cut off the handles.
What to do with your pumpkins instead
- Compost them, without paint or wax.
- Look for a pumpkin drop-off event: some communities and food banks organize them.
- Ask local farms or ranches, which sometimes take them as livestock feed, or zoos that may accept them.
- Keep jack-o’-lanterns inside or up high while they’re still on display.
Wanting to help wildlife in the cold months is a good instinct; it just needs the right gesture, like this simple one that helps chickadees survive winter.
The limit
Rules vary by state, and the risk depends on where you live: a pumpkin on a porch in a big city doesn’t carry the same risk as one at the edge of bear country. What doesn’t change is the principle: food left outside teaches animals to come back, and some of them won’t stop at the porch. The same goes for rodents looking for shelter, as we explained with where rats go in winter.
That’s the trick.
