I have never had mine head out prior to deer season. I plant mine on ~ September 16 and the deer have been absolutely pounding it and it is about a foot tall right now. In all honesty, I could probably wait until October 1 to plant but I just don't like to do much around the house here acter October 1st. I shut down the trails and let the entire place just relax. No shooting, no 4 wheelers, no tractor, I'm the "Fall Nazi" as my wife calls me. But, there is a reason I hold 20+ deer through the entire season.
This is Abruzzi Winter Rye. Not your standard Rye. Also, it grows SUPER tall. Like 6 feet tall by spring and it provides a TON of cover for rabbits during the spring. Deer really like the fresh emerging Rye plus there are a bunch of white oaks up by my sawmill that provide several tons of food. Deer don't go hungry or thirsty here. Ever.
I got a strip of Purple top turnips planted up by the sawmill. The deer don't seem to be touching them but that is no surprise. It was a "Lee and Tiffany" pack on the clearance rack at Walmart and I suspect I had a 25% germination rate (which is fine).