Contributors to this thread:
My neighbors raised pumpkins on a small 4 to 5 acre field next to our place for the last 2 years. They sell them at local markets and of course end up with WAY more than what they need. That being said, there are a bunch of pumpkins left in the field when they are done. Knowing that deer love pumpkins, I kept watching the field as the fall progressed. Day after day... no deer. And then... it snowed. 1st day after the 1st snowstorm, there were a dozen deer in the patch. 2nd day there were close to 30. It was a ball watching them smashing and eating pumpkins. Some days they were there all day long. Funny thing is when the snow melted, the deer disappeared.
I am guessing that they had another food source close by, but was surprised that they would be here one day and gone the next. And then all it would take is a snowstorm and they would be back. We had a relatively mild winter so they were gone for quite some time. Last 6 inch storm hit a little over a week ago and they were back immediately. Snow melted and they were gone just as quick.
A few questions that come to mind: Has anyone else seen this? Has anyone planted pumpkins in their food plot as a late season draw? Is that legal.
Your thoughts?
I used to work for a seed company. I talked to one farmer that had a depredation permit because the deer were eating his pumpkins. They especially like C. Moschata pumpkins the best
JB, I think the only explanation is the deer like their "pumpkin cones!"
Mark
JB, do you ever see any bucks in there? I thought it was only the females who flocked to pumpkin spice? :)
They love pumpkins allright. Especially after they have been softened up by a hard frost and then thawed. That might be why you first saw them after a cold front/snowfall.
Mark - thanks for the chuckle on the cones!
Brotsky - thank you as well! some of those females were exhibiting typical behavior when others got in their space. Saw one adult whack a little one in the head when it got too close.
MNRazorhead - you could be right about a frost softening them up. It seems weird to me that they abandon the pumpkins when the snow melts and then come back after the next snowfall. I watched this happen a number of times this winter and can still see some good size chunks in the field. You would think that once they find a food source that they like they would keep feasting until they are gone.
my friend raises pumpkins. Has a lot of issues with deer. They take a bite of one, then move on to the next. He gets a crop damage permit and takes care of 3. But the rest give him fits, They eat his as soon as they are ripe. Ive thrown pumpkins behind the house in the woods and deer wont touch them.
"Ive thrown pumpkins behind the house in the woods and deer wont touch them." Same here. I chuck pumpkins in my field and the deer totally ignore them.
Hey! This gives me an idea..........
In an area where deer are know to eat pumpkins, how about making a pumpkin blind??
It could be a simple tent that's pumpkin shaped. For an attractant scent you could just bring a thermos of pumpkin spiced coffee, which would actually make that bilge worth buying!
Or even better yet....a PUMPKIN VERSION OF A GHILLIE SUIT!!! Talk about "gettin' in there amongst 'em"!!!
