North Platte, Nebraska: The Hunter's Hub of Central Nebraska

North Platte is the largest city in central Nebraska with a population around 23,000 and serves as the crossroads of Interstate 80 and several major highways. While it is bigger than the typical small-town hunting destination, North Platte earns its place on this list as the most important logistics hub for hunters working the central and western parts of the state. The city sits at the confluence of the North and South Platte Rivers, creating a massive corridor of bottomland habitat that draws deer, waterfowl, and upland birds.

The Town

North Platte has deep roots in the American West. Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park preserves the home and ranch of William F. Cody, who staged his famous Wild West Show from this property. The city also holds the world's largest railroad classification yard, Bailey Yard, which you can view from the Golden Spike Tower. Downtown North Platte has been revitalized with new restaurants and shops, and the city offers full-service amenities including a regional hospital, big-box retail, and a municipal airport.

Where to Eat

North Platte has the widest restaurant selection of any city in central Nebraska. You will find steakhouses, barbecue joints, Mexican restaurants, and national chains. Local favorites serve Nebraska beef prepared the way it should be, thick cut and cooked over flame. After a week of eating out of a cooler in the Sandhills, North Platte feels like civilization.

Where to Stay

The city has a full range of hotels from budget motels to well-maintained national chains along the Interstate 80 corridor. Rooms are plentiful and generally available even during peak season, which makes North Platte a reliable fallback if smaller towns are booked up. Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park also offers camping.

Where to Hunt

The Platte River corridor is the main attraction. The bottomland timber, sandbars, wetlands, and agricultural fields along the river create a wildlife highway. Whitetail deer thrive in the timber bottoms, and waterfowl use the river as a major staging and resting area during fall migration. The river also holds good numbers of wild turkey.

Fort McPherson National Cemetery area and the surrounding public lands south of the river provide additional hunting access. Several WMAs within 30 minutes of town offer walk-in opportunities for deer, pheasant, and quail.

Lincoln County is one of the larger counties in Nebraska and encompasses a wide range of habitat from irrigated farmland to Sandhills grassland. The county reliably produces pheasant, deer, and waterfowl in good numbers. The transition zone between the river valley and the uplands to the north and south is particularly productive.

Why North Platte Matters for Hunters

North Platte may not have the charm of a 500-person Sandhills town, but it offers something those towns cannot: full logistical support. Fly into the airport, rent a vehicle, stock up on supplies, and be in prime hunting country within 30 minutes. Use North Platte as your base camp for expeditions into the Sandhills, the Republican River valley, or the Platte River bottomlands. It is the most strategically located hunting hub in Nebraska.