IN 2021, I put in a late April food plot in zone 3 adirondacks. Did oats, turnips, and clover. Turnips were nibbled some during hunting season, they wee monsters softball to large acorn squash sized ones. Plenty of green to nbble on.
Whats your plan throw n mow, or tilling up the land? Using fertilier?
I'd play around a bit with this. Do small spots every 3 weeks. Maybe try some different brassicas in monoplot. It can be small batch like 12x12ft patches or so.
MY plan is to rotate 1/3 of my clover n rye plot to something fancy every year. Likely be tillage involved too.
The competition is it agriculture or hunter's corn food plots? Once they mow, you got em. Think providing screening / security with food will be better rifle season wise. Especially if your high up on the ground to get a good shot at them. I'd do one of those fall season taller plots and compare it to a oats plot You'll get some deer who want the oats. I'd do the oats, clover, and brassica mix much like many do for rye.
Also, you forget does move around a bit due to bucks annoying them. We had a relatively frost free october into novemebr here n NY. Could see the brassicas sweetening up later this season. I didn't use much of mine. Had it in my lawn patch mix. Just fixing up drainage in the back yard. MAybe 2000 square feet if that.
Rye is cheap and easy, it has its place. Being a top shelf foodplot attraction, it is not in my experience. It is something decent when there is nothing live around vs browse.
I did canola early a few years ago. Deer were not interestedin it and it was a monster 3-4ft tall plant.
I think you didn't have all the toys most guys on here have for land work. ATV, cultipacker, and a sprayer? Think you had a 9N with a mower? Any other implements.
Im glad to learn the things I did on here. Rye n clover untilled for several years is my plan going forward. But, I will still be doing some bare dirt food plot work with fertilier too going forward. If I had more time money and equipment, I might do half of it one year, and let the other half rest next year.