See OK outdoor HERE. Not so rural, but definitely applicable to your weather conditions.
Regarding mold… big, full, tight, dense colas are susceptible to mold/rot if we have high humidity/precip in the latter half of flower. Sometimes it happens and sometimes not.
You must use something for pests. You can see my list on the garden thread.
I don’t deal with deer.
Photo harvest times for me have ranged from last week September to first week November. Average in 2nd to 3rd week October.