From the top of 800-foot Scotts Bluff National Monument in western Nebraska, you can look east and just make out a natural stone pillar in the distance. Just above the horizon stands Chimney Rock. Scotts Bluff and Chimney Rock are two of the natural landmarks that guided pioneers west on the Oregon, California and Mormon trails. Surveying the area from atop Scotts Bluff, you can imagine a line of big-wheeled wagons working their way through the frontier, families on their way to new lives in the West. Nebraska's trails still symbolize the American dream: The pursuit of exploration and the resilient hope that's rooted in staking a claim in the American wilderness.
Surrounding both features, a rugged, expansive landscape with high buttes and plateaus covered in ponderosa pines tower above the area providing habitat for mountain lion and bighorn sheep. Hunting for these and other big game like the native elk, mule deer and whitetails draws outdoorsmen to western Nebraska.
Northwest Nebraska is known for its Sandhills Region, a mixed-grass prairie and national natural landmark that covers a fourth of the state. That's over 19,000 square miles of dunes reaching up to 400 feet, and 20 miles long. The largest sand dune formation in the Western Hemisphere, these hills are used for grazing cattle on some of the largest ranch lands in the country. The Sandhills also offer off-grid adventures including backpacking, hunting and off-roading.
Nebraska's wild game offers a bucket-list experience to hunt prairie grouse, whitetail, mule deer and the second-fastest land animal on the planet: the pronghorn. Bowhunters revel in the pursuit of these North American animals. In a landscape where you can see as far as the horizon in every direction, this hunt is no small undertaking. But it's sure to be rewarding. A strong hunting heritage spans across the state with unbelievable wing shooting during massive migrations of geese, and there's an abundance of pheasants too.
Three of the four main subspecies of wild turkeys offer one of the best action-packed styles of hunting to enjoy spring. Hunting stories are part of everyday conversations that might cover accounts of big whitetails traveling cottonwood river bottoms and soggy sloughs, or epic adventures with family and friends.
The Lower Platte and North Platte River wind through great plains and fields of corn and beans as far as the eye can see. The Cornhusker State has 46,000 farms on 45 million acres of farmland. Nebraska ranks third in the country in corn production and is second only to Texas in cattle production with its many acres of ranch land. The state’s beautiful flowing landscape and its resources are the primary income generator for this great state. Big steaks and pork tenderloins, twice as big as the bun, are two of the main dishes Nebraskans enjoy after a long day of working hard and hunting hard. Nebraska is a centerpiece of a nation that enjoys a rich tradition in agriculture, outdoor recreation and fine country living.
