Do Deer Eat Pumpkins? 5 Ways to Protect Both Your Plants and Fall Decor

When setting out jack-o'-lanterns on your porch or growing pumpkins in your garden, you may be wondering, "do deer eat pumpkins?" Deer aren’t picky eaters and they love feasting on many flowers and vegetable plants, including pumpkins. They'll snack on pumpkin leaves, flowers, and on whole fruits, as well as carved jack-o’-lanterns left outside for Halloween. Here's how to protect pumpkins from deer and why you may not want to feed your pumpkins to deer when spooky season is through.

Signs of Deer Damage

Many garden pests will eat pumpkin plants and fruit, but deer damage is quite distinct. While rodents such as squirrels may chew small ragged marks on pumpkin skins, just one deer can eat most, if not all, of a large pumpkin in one visit. In fact, you can lose an entire patch of pumpkins or all of your jack-o’-lanterns overnight if a herd of deer moves through. Here are the main clues to look for to determine if deer are the culprits of your pumpkin destruction:

• large, ragged bites out of pumpkin fruit

• trampled vines

• entirely uprooted plants

• pelleted round droppings

• cloven hoofprints

Related: Do Deer Eat Mums? 6 Tips for Protecting Your Fall Flowers from Damage

How to Protect Pumpkins from Deer

Gardeners have come up with many creative ways to keep deer out of vegetable gardens. But if you just have pumpkins for Halloween, you may not want to invest in heavy duty deer fencing and other larger scale prevention techniques. No matter how many pumpkins you’d like to protect, here are a few ways to keep deer away from pumpkin plants and jack-o’-lanterns too.

1. Fencing

Fencing is the best way to keep deer out of gardens, but it can be pricey. Fences should be at least 8 feet tall because deer can easily jump anything lower. However, double fencing can also be effective against deer. If you need to protect a few Halloween pumpkins and don’t want to install a permanent fence, temporary electric poultry netting fences can be used to shelter a few pumpkins on a patio, but these fences should be kept away from trick-or-treaters.

2. Deterrent Sprays

Deer repellents like predator urine, blood meal, and putrefied egg solids are quite smelly and they’re best for garden use only. But you can apply other deterrent sprays, like hot pepper oil or garlic oil, to
carved jack o’lanterns or garden plants to keep deer at bay. Just keep in mind that deer repellents need to be reapplied throughout the season and after heavy rains to be effective.

3. Other Deterrents

Sprays aren’t the only products that repel deer. Motion-activated sprinklers or spotlights and ultrasonic devices can also keep deer away from decorative fall pumpkins as well as pumpkins growing in your garden, but these products are more effective if you move them around your garden from time to time. For a lower-tech solution, keep windchimes on your porch through Halloween to scare deer away from your jack o’lanterns.

Related: The 14 Best Wind Chimes of 2024 to Create a Soothing Soundscape

4. Companion Plants

Some strongly scented plants naturally repel deer, and growing these plants near your pumpkins can provide an additional layer of protection for your crops. However, many of these plants can also be planted in pots and placed right beside your porch pumpkins to deter deer. Herbs like mint, sage, and chives are particularly useful against deer and they grow well in fall porch planters too.

5. Location

Pumpkins growing in the garden can’t be easily moved from place to place to avoid deer damage. But if you want to keep deer from browsing on your decorative pumpkins, place your pumpkins on your porch or up a short flight of stairs to make them less accessible. For even better results, bring
your pumpkins indoors at night and store them in your fridge. This keeps pumpkins fresh much longer and ensures that deer won’t be able to get to them.

Should You Feed Pumpkins to Deer?

Many well-meaning gardeners and nature lovers feed whole or carved pumpkins to deer at the end of fall. But according to wildlife experts, this may not be the best idea for several reasons.

While pumpkins are a relatively healthy treat for deer and other wildlife, deliberately feeding deer is illegal in some areas. That's because it can make deer more vulnerable to predators and increase the spread of diseases, like chronic wasting disease. Feeding pumpkins to deer can also inadvertently attract other wildlife, like bears, which you likely don’t want prowling around your doorstep.

If you decide to feed pumpkins to deer, place the pumpkins away from your home and break them open to make the seeds and pulpy interiors more accessible to hungry wildlife. Composting whole or carved pumpkins, either at home or through a community composting service, is another eco-friendly way to get rid of old pumpkins and limit yard waste. Best of all, composting pumpkins won’t directly affect wildlife and it can provide you with a rich soil amendment for your garden.