Mark,
I lived in Crete for 4 years while I went to college. Deer hunting was good then, but now Nebraksa harvests more deer than the total estimated population of the state in those years.
I was there from '76-80. I shot two deer there in early season, one the opening day. Deer can be feeding heavily then. But...the week before the Rifle Season would be my pick. Rut activity going on, fewer bugs. You should have a great hunt and again, the population in Nebr. is sky high. Many tropy deer killed there this year. I grew up about 25 miles north of Crete and is the same kind story there.
Good luck!
Kpete