Dr. Woods,

We recently planted 6 (2-3 acre) winter wheat and winter oats plots on our farms in west central Missouri.  Two weeks ago I went and checked all of the plots.  They were doing excellent, growing great and looking to produce a high yield.  I went in to hunt this last weekend and checked several of the plots.  Most of the wheat/oat plots are doing great, but 1 of them appears to have been over-browsed or somehow died off.  Taking a closer look, I noticed a lot of wheat/oat stubble that appeared to be bit off nearly at the base.  I was a little confused, some of our plots are untouched and this plot had been hammered already.  My understanding is whitetails primarily won’t hit these types of plots until first frost.  We purchased this piece of property last December, and I know there is an excess of does.  Do you think it could be an over-browsing problem, plant disease, or something along those lines?  Do you think there is any chance of this plot making a comeback?

Thanks for your time.  I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Steve