I've never had anything eat the buckwheat that I have planted, unless I count bees for the pollen. It is a good soil builder though and I still use it. I had a land owner tell me deer down there wouldn't eat Ērimson Clover yet they tear it up when I plant it.
I think a lot of it has to do with how many deer you have and the quality/quantity of the other forage present on the property. Deer will eat just about anything.....whether or not they have to is a different question though. I think some of these crops like buckwheat, which are not at the top of the preference list, will be a good indicator to help folks figure out where they fall on this sliding scale of browsing pressure from property to property.
Something else to throw in here as well that I've said in the past....I think for many folks, especially the ones with small plots, you will see better long term results if you concentrate summer planting more on improving soil health rather than feeding deer. There can still be an attraction component to the field but making the first priority for summer plots be soil health improvement. The winter plots will reap the benefits as a result. For someone with 1/2 acre plot or a 1 acre plot.....(heck even larger than that really)....your main goal for having that food plot and the goal that is the most realistic to accomplish is winter time attraction for viewing/harvesting. We're not going to make any significant differences with trying to feed deer off of 1/2 acre in the summer but we can realistically improve the productivity of the plot.
