December 2020 • Nebraskaland 31
What To Do in December
Stargazing
Throughout the month | Statewide
In December, stargazers can witness a
transition between summer and winter
constellations. Stay up late enough and
you'll see summer constellations going
down in the west and winter ones coming
up in the east. Also, mark your calendar
for the Geminid meteor shower on Dec. 13-
14, most likely the best of the year, and the
conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn on Dec.
21. The two will look like a double star in the
western sky.
Muzzleloader
deer hunting at
southeastern WMAs
Throughout the month
Among the wildlife management areas
in southeastern Nebraska, three of them
— Hickory Ridge, Osage and Table Rock
— stand out. These large, heavily wooded
areas have good hunter access, are well
managed, and hold good populations of
game animals. They're also off the beaten
path, so usually you'll encounter less traffi c.
CROSS-COUNTRY
SKIING
AT
INDIAN
CAVE
STATE
PARK
PHOTO
BY
ERIC
FOWLER
MUZZLELOADER
DEER
HUNT
WITH
JOSHUA
NETHERTON
(LEFT)
AND
MENTOR,
TOM
WELSTEAD.
PHOTO
BY
JENNY
NGUYEN-WHEATLEY
Snowshoeing and cross-country
skiing at Ponca State Park
As weather conditions allow
Snowshoeing and cross-country skiing are a draw for visitors
at Ponca State Park. Throughout the winter, the park provides
groomed cross-country skiing trails when there's adequate
snow. However, visitors are free to snowshoe or cross-country
ski at any time. Come and see the most popular views at the
park during a unique time of year.
