Alliance, Nebraska: Panhandle Pheasant and Mule Deer Hunting

Alliance is the largest town in Box Butte County with a population around 8,400, making it the natural supply hub for hunters working the Nebraska Panhandle. Famous for Carhenge, a quirky roadside replica of Stonehenge built from vintage cars, Alliance has more to offer than novelty landmarks. The surrounding grasslands and agricultural fields create prime habitat for pheasant, mule deer, and pronghorn.

The Town

Alliance has a genuine small-town feel with all the essentials a traveling hunter needs. Grocery stores, gas stations, sporting goods shops, and hardware stores line the main corridors. The Knight Museum and Sandhills Center downtown tells the story of the region's ranching and railroad heritage. Carhenge, located just north of town, draws visitors from across the country and is worth the five-minute detour even if you are here strictly for the hunting.

Where to Eat

Alliance has a solid selection of local restaurants. You will find family-run diners serving chicken-fried steak and hot beef sandwiches, Mexican restaurants with homemade green chile, and a few pizza joints that stay open late enough for hunters coming in from the field after dark. The downtown area has a handful of sit-down options that rotate menus seasonally.

Where to Stay

Several chain motels along Highway 2 and Highway 385 offer clean, affordable rooms. Box Butte Reservoir south of town has camping facilities if you prefer to stay closer to the hunting grounds. A few locally owned motels in town cater specifically to hunters and fishermen and will not blink at muddy boots in the lobby.

Where to Hunt

Box Butte Reservoir and the surrounding state recreation area offer walk-in access to grasslands and timber draws. The reservoir itself draws waterfowl during migration, and the uplands around it hold pheasant and sharp-tailed grouse.

The broader Box Butte County landscape is a patchwork of CRP grassland, irrigated cropland, and rangeland that creates textbook pheasant habitat. The Open Fields and Waters program enrolls private land parcels throughout the county, giving hunters additional walk-in access.

For mule deer, the breaks and draws west of Alliance toward the Wildcat Hills provide excellent glassing terrain. Pronghorn are abundant across the open grasslands, and antelope permits are typically available over the counter for this unit.

Why Alliance Belongs on Your List

Alliance is a practical base camp for a Panhandle hunting trip. You are within an hour of the Pine Ridge to the north, the Wildcat Hills to the south, and thousands of acres of open grassland in every direction. The town has enough infrastructure to keep you comfortable without feeling like a city. If you are planning a Nebraska pheasant or mule deer trip in the western half of the state, Alliance puts you right in the middle of the action.