I've been growing pumpkins and various squash for a few years now, and my experience from year to year is incredibly variable in terms of plant survival, disease, fruit set, fruit size/weight, etc. Some years I'll get 100 fruit from 25 vines, and other years I'll have to supplement from Smart & Final or Trader Joe's in order to host my annual pumpkin party.
One thing that puzzles me is when and why the vines die. Do they die after they're accomplished their life's purpose, e.g. making a fruit? Or after they've been alive for X days? Or do they die when the temps fall below X degrees? Or when the day length gets shorter than X hours? It is programmed in? Or is it just the plant not having enough X to survive?