Ok I purchased 17 acres last year..It is all timber and I dozed in about a 1/2 acre and put in a Alpha-Rack Plus plot...Worked AWESOME till the frost hit second weekend of season..Now hardly anything will touch it..I've been told that a frost does something to the alfalfa and clover that makes it less desireable to the deer...So I'm planning on dozing in more this spring and getting it ready for a fall plot...Looking at Buck Oats, Winter Wheat, and some Brassicas...I really like the brassicas but have been told once it is gone it is gone..So I want something that will continue to regrow and bring them in for late season hunting...What have you had better/best experiences with and what size plots have they been?? Mine will be small in the 1/2-1/4 acre size...
I like winter rye (the grain) for fall plots. It grows faster than winter wheat, stays green late, needs little fertilizer, tolerates low pH, and provides early spring food to deer here in the north. In IL, you should be able to plant it in early October and still get good results. The negatives, you will need to spray it with roundup the next spring if you plan to plant a summer plot.