One question, are you near Rend lake? A couple of things come to mind. Winter Wheat may be a good crop, or Austrian Winter Peas. Another might work is Turnips. It could depend on how severe your winter is on plantings. Is the first shotgun season still around Thanksgiving? I lived in northern IL ' til 1977 but had no land of my own to hunt. What you may have to do is try a strip of each type of food you might think would work. This might help to determine what the deer prefer and also what will persist long enough to draw them to your area. A strip of Ladino clover might also be a good bet. I wouldn' t go with a single planting until you know for sure it will be what you want. Deer like to eat off the buffet.

Russ