Once upon a time, in a forum far far away was fellow that advocated planting Rye early summer and swore deer fed on the mature tops that stood thru his 2 ft of snow thru his northern winters. Made for some very argumentive reading, but always found it an interesting perspective and even then in all fairness he was doing the throw and mow back then that now many of us do these days. Maybe it doesn’t need fenced, maybe it doesn’t need to be new growth, maybe he was on to something, I’ve never tested his theory except to allow WR and WW replant itself each summer for fall feed saving cost and sweat of a replanting. Just throwing this out there for consideration.