RE: Deer Eating Ripe Wheat
Never say never - but it would be my opinion that it is not "normal" for deer to key in on ripe wheat.
One year, we had several bucks that were consistently seen stripping the heads of Ripe barley. We thought that they were in the fields because underseeded in the field was alfalfa. But as we watched them there was no doubt that the were eating the heads. We surmised that they were bedding in the center of this 20 acre field, and before they would venture off to the clover/alfalfa fields, they would have their fill. This behavior continued for almost a month as the heads turned brown - then it waned and the farmer combined the field.
Since then, I haven't seen the deer in any other barley plots he does, though the other plots are all smaller - 5-10 acres.