Winter forages/feed plot

I planted about 4 acres of bob oats this fall for deer. I've been told by a few people that bob oats are not winter hardy and will die at the first freeze. Is this true? And was this a complete waste of money? I'm located just north of Dallas, Texas.

It really depends on far below freezing it gets and for how long. Also how much ground moisture you have. It can happen with some varieties of oats.

Is it possible that it can "brown" in the winter then come back green in the spring?

I planted oats in North Texas several years and only once did they die in the winter. Most years they turned half brown around Christmas to January. Never tried to keep them going after March as I always tilled them in and planted soybeans.

I would hedge your bet with mixing about 60% oats and 40% wheat (through in a few turnips too!).

Is it too late to plant wheat? Or if I do plant wheat will it not germinate until spring? We are having our first hard freeze tonight in the 20s.

You can plant it, but you will need a few 70+ degree days in a row to get he soil warm enough to germinate. Personally, I would not waste my time and money (plowing, planting, fertilizing, etc) at this stage. Spend the money on Corn/protein mix to gravity feed the deer during the cold months and until the spring growth starts.