Keep wildlife in mind when placing pumpkins this season

John Livingston
Southwest Region Public Information Officer
970-759-9590 / [email protected]
@CPW_SW Keep wildlife in mind when placing pumpkins, decorations this season

Oct. 2, 2026

DURANGO, Colo. – Carved jack-o’-lanterns delight Halloween trick-or-treaters, but leaving pumpkins out in yards or porches where wildlife can access them can introduce a different kind of fright to Colorado neighborhoods.

During a year in which human-bear conflicts have hit historic levels, Colorado Parks and Wildlife reminds the public that leaving pumpkins out in yards can attract wildlife, including bears, deer, raccoons and more.

Most years, CPW asks the public to be diligent about properly discarding or composting pumpkins following Halloween and to never feed them to wildlife. But with the arrival of October and bear incidents continuing across many regions of the state, it is important that pumpkins are not left outside overnight even before they are carved.

CPW has already seen incidents of bears in front yards devouring pumpkins and even bears in front of grocery stores feasting on the gourds. Pumpkins are a high-calorie treat for bears and are loaded with fiber, minerals and vitamins, and bears accessing pumpkins put out by people can lead to preventable human-bear conflicts.

“Often, we see bird feeders bring bears into people’s yards and onto porches,” said Kris Middledorf, Area Wildlife Manager in Steamboat Springs. “We then see escalating conflicts with bears that have gotten close to homes then trying to or successfully gaining access to homes. It is the same story with pumpkins people put out every October. This can present serious human health and safety issues that we can prevent.”

As a safe practice, CPW recommends bringing pumpkins inside and displaying them in a window. Pumpkins placed outside should be brought inside before going to bed and kept inside during the day.

Bears remain incredibly active through much of October with hyperphagia continuing as long as food is available or they continue to find food in communities. Bears are consuming as many as 20,000 calories a day and are active 20-plus hours a day as they look to build up fat reserves before denning. People can encourage bears to den sooner by not providing access to human-provided food sources.

Feeding big-game is illegal in Colorado, and knowingly luring bears is also a crime. 

While historic drought and freeze events have made it a difficult year for bears to find natural forage, natural forage is available for them. Humans providing food for bears is dangerous and leads to habituation. Wild bears should never receive food from humans.
Deer feeding on pumpkins also can attract predators such as mountain lions to residential areas. Other animals that may carry disease such as raccoons can also be intrigued by rotting pumpkins, and animals congregating where they find this food source can lead to the spread of disease.

“Bears are still around and haven’t gone to bed yet,” said CPW Area Wildlife Manager Adrian Archuleta of Durango. “Other animals such as raccoons that may carry distemper or other diseases could also get into those pumpkins, and you don’t want potentially sick animals hanging around your home, especially if you have pets. Please find appropriate ways to discard your pumpkins after Halloween and don’t leave them out in the days leading up.”

After Halloween, many communities and food banks across Colorado offer pumpkin drop-off events for those who are looking for an alternative to throwing away or composting pumpkins themselves. Several ranches across Colorado also accept direct pumpkin donations to go toward livestock feed, and zoos may even accept donated pumpkins. 

However, pumpkins that have been painted or contain melted wax are not able to be accepted because they are not safe for animal consumption.

CPW also asks the public to be mindful when hanging Halloween decorations. Antlered wildlife – deer, elk and moose – can all become entangled in decorations that are not secured tightly to buildings or posts. Every year, CPW officers intervene when ungulates become entangled or tethered to decorations, garden equipment, hammocks, volleyball nets and more.

“We see it every year, and it always gets worse this time of year,” Archuleta said. “Right now is a great opportunity to clean up your yard of items a curious animal might stick its nose in or get wrapped up in. And when you’re putting up holiday decorations, keep our wildlife in mind. These impairments can really affect their mobility, vision and ability to eat and drink.”

CPW recommends holiday lights and decorations be placed higher than six feet or attached tightly to trees and buildings. Lights or artificial webs that hang low or are draped insecurely over vegetation easily get tangled in antlers.

When animals such as deer and elk become entangled, stress and physical exhaustion caused by trying to break free can lead to death. Never try to free an animal from an entanglement yourself. A stressed animal may act aggressively, and hooves and antlers can cause serious injury.

If you see unsafe human behavior, such as feeding wildlife, or wildlife that have become entangled, quickly report it to your local CPW office. For more information, go to cpw.state.co.us/living-wildlife.