Oats are all I have planted the last 3 years. I plant a forage oat but I get'em from a buddy who is a seed/chemical salesman. No deer on the bag. Lol
The deer here love them. I will top dress them at about 4 weeks just to help'em make through the season. The deer here get very little pressure so from October through January, I'll basically have anywhere's from 1-30 deer on them pretty much 18 hours out of every day. The plot will look like a putting green they keep it so mowed down.
Here's the kicker with the oats. If they stay short/eat down, cold will affect them very little. Maybe a few burned tops, but not near as bad as it would be if they were 6-8" tall. I also plant oats as cover crops in some of my pastures where the deer cannot get to them and cold does affect them somewhat.