I think the deer will get absolutely pounded this year. The main reason being there is no cover for them to hide. All the corn is cut and a large portion of the CRP is cut and baled. The remaining CRP that was 3 to 4 feet tall last year is at best 2 feet tall this year.
Most NE hunters carry an opportunity not quality mentality when it comes to mule deer. Basically, anything with a horn gets shot at. In my area alone, there is 1200 rifle tags issued and that is about 1000 too many to have a little quality. Our mule deer herd is continually declining yet licence numbers have stayed the same.
I have never hunted deer during the rifle season here. With 1200 tags in my unit (other units have that many or more) the competition is high on both public and private. I have hunted during the muzzy season (all private) and have only harvested whitetail does because I never found a buck the tripped my trigger. If u are leaning to rifle, paying a trespass fee to keep the competition low is the way to go. I am no help here because I do not know anybody that offers this. IMO, your best bet is the muzzy season on both public and private. I have found it easier to gain permission to hunt private during the muzzy season.
Hope this helps and will know a lot more after this weekend as it is the opener for rifle