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Wildcat
Hills
Located
10 miles south of Gering on NE 71 , Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area, Wildcat Hills
Nature Center and the Big Game Reserve are a picturesque blend of
rugged rock buttes and pine covered canyons. Primarily geared for
day use and picnic outings, Wildcat totals 935 acres (with 705 acres
in the recreation area), overlooking the North Platte River Valley.
Historic Scotts Bluff National Monument looms to the northwest.
Wildcat
Hills State Recreation Area
Whatever
the time of year, visitors will find a variety of wildlife, including
both mule deer and whitetails. Much of the recreation area is covered
by stands of mountain mahogany (Cercocazpus), found only rarely
in the Wildcats or the Pine Ridge in northwestern Nebraska. Mountain
mahogany's flowers lack petals, but the plant's characteristic feathery
plumes create a blooming effect in late spring, especially in the
slanting light of early morning or late afternoon. Other prominent
plants include yucca, cedar, currant, a variety of spring wildflowers
and poison ivy.
The
310-acre game reserve, south of the SRA, holds a small herd of buffalo,
elk and sometimes longhorn cattle. Visitors are not permitted within
the fenced reserve. The best opportunity to view the bison and elk
occurs during the early morning and evening hours along the boundary
fence. The number of animals kept on the reserve is limited by grass
conditions, and some may be moved to other locations from time to
time to maintain herd quality. The Wildcat Hills buffalo herd provided
the start for the bison now raised at Fort Robinson State Park.
The game reserve is also home to a variety of other wildlife, including
wild turkey, deer, bobcat and coyote. The boundary road paralleling
the reserve fence on the east side ends at the Scotts Bluff-Banner
county line, where there is a turnaround.
text
from: http://www.ngpc.state.ne.us/parks/wildcat.html
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