Wyoming Urges Secure Pumpkin Disposal After Halloween

Wyoming households should place pumpkins in secure bins, since leftover food can draw wildlife and make deer fawns sick.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Wildlife

Wyoming Urges Secure Pumpkin Disposal After Halloween

Live Poll

Will you change your holiday decorating or pumpkin disposal habits to help local wildlife?

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is asking residents to dispose of pumpkins in secure bins after Halloween rather than leaving them outdoors. The department says it receives many calls this time of year about sickly deer fawns, which can be linked to wildlife eating low-nutrition food.

Why it matters

Pumpkins left outdoors draw raccoons, bears, and other scavengers into neighborhoods, and mule deer cannot properly digest them. Eating low-nutrition foods leaves fawns more susceptible to parasites and other diseases, so a simple disposal habit can protect local wildlife.

The advisory applies after Halloween, when discarded pumpkins commonly contain candle wax residue from jack-o-lanterns. Leaving pumpkins outdoors can be classified under local ordinances as feeding wildlife, which is illegal in some areas.

The players

Wyoming Game and Fish Department

The state agency that manages wildlife and hunting across Wyoming, and the source of this pumpkin disposal advisory.

Stan Harter

A wildlife biologist based in Lander who works with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department on wildlife guidance.

The details

Pumpkins left outdoors attract predators and scavengers such as raccoons and bears, which bring wildlife into residential areas. Mule deer cannot properly digest pumpkins, and discarded jack-o-lanterns carry candle wax residue. Feeding low-nutrition foods leaves deer fawns susceptible to parasites and other diseases, which the department links to the sickly fawns it sees each year. Residents should place pumpkins in secure bins and keep holiday lights out of reach.

Halloween: pumpkin disposal period begins after the holiday.
This time of year: the department receives many calls about sickly deer fawns.
Dawn and dusk: migrating wildlife cross roadways, so drivers should slow down.

The Home Front

The advisory follows the Wyoming Game and Fish Department's recurring reports of sickly deer fawns tied to human-provided food. It fits within local ordinances that treat leaving pumpkins outdoors as feeding wildlife in some areas.

Place pumpkins in a secure bin after Halloween rather than leaving them on the porch or in the yard. Keep holiday lights out of reach, and keep pets confined or on a leash so they do not chase wildlife.

The takeaway

Securing your pumpkins in a bin protects deer fawns and keeps raccoons and bears out of your yard. Check your local ordinance, since leaving food outdoors may count as feeding wildlife where you live.