Halloween Pumpkins Are Back, And So Are Arizona’s Hungry Critters
I love everything about the fall, including pumpkin carving. Our family spends an afternoon at Apple Annie’s in Willcox, carefully choosing our gourds. We then take them home and turn them into works of art to celebrate spooky season.
As much as we love our own carefully curated “spooky,” we’re not big on Mother Nature turning it into her own unnatural freak show.
Imagine a young child waking up on a crisp October morning, excited to show off the pumpkin your kids proudly carved the night before. But instead of that grinning jack-o'-lantern on the porch, there's a chewed-up shell, with pumpkin guts scattered across the yard.
Tell-tale hoof prints lead into the darkness, the only evidence of peccary gourdish debauchery. In Arizona, that's not just a creepy Halloween story. It's a stark reality when wildlife discovers your fall decorations.
According to the Arizona Game and Fish Department, pumpkins left outdoors can attract javelinas, deer, coyotes, rodents, and even bears in some parts of the state. A ripe pumpkin is a tempting beacon for an easy meal sitting right on your doorstep.
Why Wildlife Loves Halloween Decorations
To a javelina, your carefully carved masterpiece doesn't look like decoration; it looks like dinner. Wildlife experts say pumpkins, gourds, squash, and other harvest produce can provide food for wildlife and often attract animals into neighborhoods.
It’s not just the big animals. Smaller critters can create a circle-of-life incident right on your porch. Rodents are often drawn to seeds and the soft interior of a carved pumpkin. That can then attract snakes and other predators, as Cronkite News reports.
Javelinas are especially notorious pumpkin thieves in Arizona. Wildlife officials describe outdoor pumpkins as tempting "candy for javelinas."
READ ALSO: AZ Wildlife Loves Pumpkins! How to Protect Your Gourds
Best Ways To Protect Pumpkins From Wildlife
Your Halloween decorations don’t have to fall victim to Arizona’s pumpkin predators. Here are some tips to guard your gourds:
- Display pumpkins indoors near a window whenever possible.
- If displayed outside, place pumpkins high off the ground and out of reach.
- Consider using artificial pumpkins for outdoor displays.
- Dispose of pumpkins as soon as they begin to soften or rot.
- Keep fallen seeds and pumpkin pieces cleaned up around your yard.
Should You Use Chemical Repellents?
If you must display your pumpkins outside, you may be able to deter hungry visitors from destroying your display.
Some gardeners recommend using a cayenne pepper-based repellent or a commercial wildlife deterrent, but they may not stand up to the elements. These products often need to be reapplied, especially after rain.
READ: Apple Annie's: Arizona's Perfect Autumn Adventure
Keep Your Pumpkins Indoors
Experts at Arizona Fish and Game say it’s better to remove food sources, since repellents aren’t always reliable. The safest and most dependable option, they advise, is to keep edible decorations indoors or elevated where animals can't reach them.
Save your kids the heartache of discovering a pumpkin crime scene, and keep those decorations indoors.
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