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View all stencils →About this stencil
A buck's head glows from the pumpkin with a full eight-tine rack of antlers, alert ears, and a rounded muzzle, all carved as connected pierced openings. The antler beams branch symmetrically above the head, throwing dramatic spiky light. The narrow antler tines are the challenge here; saw each tine from its tip down toward the main beam and avoid twisting the blade so the slender channels stay clean. This design is rated Intermediate and takes most carvers around 75 minutes from trace to glow. Comfortable knife handling required. Small details and curves.
Pumpkin size guide
- 🎃 Small (5–7") — print at 80%
- 🎃 Medium (7–10") — print at 100% (recommended)
- 🎃 Large (11–13") — print at 130%
- 🎃 Giant (14"+) — print at 150% on tabloid paper
Frequently asked questions
Can I resize this stencil?▾
Yes. The PDF is vector so it scales cleanly. Print at 100% for a 7–10 inch pumpkin, 130% for 11–13 inch, or 150% for a giant. Use your printer's "Fit to page" or "Custom scale" setting.
What kind of paper works best?▾
Standard 20 lb letter or A4 printer paper is fine. Heavier paper is harder to bend around the pumpkin curve. If your printer supports it, set the quality to 'best' so the lines are crisp.
How long will the carved pumpkin last?▾
Usually 5–10 days. Coat all cut surfaces with petroleum jelly and store the pumpkin somewhere cool overnight. Avoid direct sun. Battery LED pumpkin lights produce no heat and double the lifespan.
Can I sell pumpkins carved with this stencil?▾
Yes, the carved pumpkin you make is yours. The license covers personal and small-scale commercial carving (selling carved pumpkins, photographing them, posting on social). You may not resell the PDF file itself.
What if my printer doesn't print the whole stencil?▾
Set 'Page scaling' to 'Fit' in the print dialog and uncheck 'Auto-rotate'. If it still cuts off, the design includes 0.25" of safe-area margin so a small crop won't ruin it.
How to carve this stencil
- 1Print it
Download the PDF and print at 100% scale on letter or A4 paper.
- 2Prep the pumpkin
Cut the lid at an angle, scoop the guts, thin the wall to ~1 inch.
- 3Tape it on
Snip darts in the paper so it lies flat against the curve.
- 4Transfer the design
Poke along every line — about one dot every 1/8 inch.
- 5Carve it
Connect the dots with short straight cuts. Center first, work outward.
- 6Light it up
Drop in a battery LED pumpkin light and you're done.
Tools you'll need
For a intermediate carve like this you'll want a x-acto knife, poker tool, ribbon scoop, and painter's tape. Here's the kit we reach for — start with whatever you already own.
Elmchee Pumpkin Carving Kit
13-piece kit with carrying case
Saws for the larger cutouts, plus a scoop for hollowing. Covers both jobs in one kit.
View on Amazon ↗
HOME MOST LED Pumpkin Lights
4-pack, battery operated, with remote + timer
Orange glow made for jack-o'-lanterns. The remote and timer light the pumpkin every evening without reaching inside.
View on Amazon ↗
Speedball 4131 Lino Cutter Set
Handle + 5 interchangeable cutters
Interchangeable cutters for peeling and shading the face. Useful for the finer details.
View on Amazon ↗
Community Pumpkin Carving Ideas
Carving ideas that use stencils like this one.
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AdvancedDeer Skull and Rifles Pumpkin Stencil
Two crossed hunting rifles sit below a buck's-head silhouette with a full multi-point rack of antlers, forming a classic skull-and-crossbones arrangement in a hunting theme. All three elements are cut out as open silhouettes, so the rifles and antlers glow as bright orange shapes against the dark pumpkin. The junction where the rifle stocks cross is a narrow pinch point; trace that intersection carefully and cut each rifle as a separate pass rather than one continuous stroke to preserve the crossing bridge.
AdvancedStanding Duck with Webbed Feet
A standing duck in profile, from its rounded bill down to its webbed feet, with layered feather detail across the folded wing and breast. This is a skin-shaving pattern rather than a pierced one: the duck's body is etched to glow while the surrounding skin stays dark, and feather lines are scored deeper for texture. Shave the broad body areas first, then add the fine feather strokes last so a slip cannot erase your detail work.
AdvancedGarden Snail & Grass
A smiling garden snail glides between tufts of grass, its spiral shell coiling into a bold center swirl. The design is pure surface work; you shave the skin from the body, shell, and grass blades so they glow pale against the dark rind, with the spiral line left raised for definition. Shave the big shell arc in one smooth pass, then use a fine gouge for the antennae and grass so they stay thin.
AdvancedBeaver & Crosshatched Tail
A sturdy beaver stands in profile with its famous flat tail fanned behind it, the tail filled with a crosshatched diamond pattern and a tiny buck tooth showing at the mouth. The design is carved as a relief, shaving the outline and detail lines into the skin without piercing the wall, so it reads beautifully even unlit. Score the crosshatch grid lightly first, then deepen each groove one pass at a time.
IntermediateBuffalo Hump & Curved Horn
A standing buffalo silhouette with its heavy shoulder hump, curved horn, shaggy chin, and tufted tail all captured in one clean shape. You peel the skin away inside the outline so the bison appears as a smooth pale panel, with the wall left fully intact behind it. This medium shading design looks great even unlit; trace the leg gaps carefully since those thin strips of remaining skin define the whole stance.
IntermediateLittle Etched Hedgehog
A sweet little hedgehog shown in profile, with a pointed snout, a dot eye, tiny feet, and a back full of spiky quills rendered as star-like bursts. Nothing is pierced; you shave away only the outer skin inside the outline so the pale flesh forms the hedgehog against the dark rind. Use a shallow loop tool and keep an even depth so the quill points stay crisp.