Ferguson Crk block - upper Hunter

Got lucky with the Wanaka roar ballot for next year drawing Ferguson for 1st period.:thumbsup:
After any info or tips on the block if others can share past experiences.
What's the access like going up Ferguson Crk from Hunter ?
I understand some of the side creeks flowing into the Hunter can be tight and gorgie at lower levels . We’ll be splitting up to cover as much as we can and wondering how easy/hard the going is to get up into the higher reaches of Ferguson Crk ? Or back down if we drop some of the party into the head basin.

Also looks like some promising gullies running both sides of the main Hunter valley.
Hopefully the waro boys have not totally hammered everything.
Hope we get to bump into chamois or tahr as well as looking for reds.

Any insights and hints appreciated.

That's a pretty big block/very big country. Beautiful valley. Like you say, access from the Hunter Valley can be tricky with the side creeks being gorged out. However the marked track into the Ferg isn't too bad travelling - it's well marked, plus you could hunt/glass the country on the way in/out.

I'd be aiming to get high and spend some time glassing the tops/edge country. Last time we were in there was only a couple weeks after the helicopters had taken 50 odd deer out of the upper Hunter Valley area and side creeks (spoke to pilot who had done the op) and we still saw 15 or so deer over a 3day/2night trip. A couple of stags, one a nice 10 with plenty of potential. Saw several chamois throughout the area. Didn't bump into any tahr, but weren't really looking for them.


Head of Ferguson Crk

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Several chamois and deer in this shot ;)

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True right of Ferg, about midway of valley

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Only decent photos of country I've got sorry.

Josh.

Beautiful country !!!
Good luck Chainsaw - report expected

Thanks @JoshC for the insights and pics. Hope the waro boys leave a few big stage behind. But with venison prices where they are they will no doubt be going hard on it :omg:
Pretty keen on a chamois too so we’ll be giving them a good look over.
Yep she’s big country

The big stags get old for a reason. They'll be holed up in the top 1/4 of the bush line, where there's a couple of smelly hinds and plenty of cover.

Sounds like your average Southland pub :thumbsup:

Counting down the weeks - any one got recent info on blocks in the upper Hunter. Been a crazy summer - hot and wet (at least in the back half). Imagine there's a lot of feed around. Any clues on if this likely to push animals high or low ?
Got my fingers crossed these tropical cyclones stop coming.

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Originally Posted by chainsaw

Counting down the weeks - any one got recent info on blocks in the upper Hunter. Been a crazy summer - hot and wet (at least in the back half). Imagine there's a lot of feed around. Any clues on if this likely to push animals high or low ?
Got my fingers crossed these tropical cyclones stop coming.

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just inquiring how you got on new to the area but this block is looking like a likely prospect for one of the picks we are going to put in our ballot

Quote:

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Originally Posted by yenroc270

just inquiring how you got on new to the area but this block is looking like a likely prospect for one of the picks we are going to put in our ballot

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Lol you and a hundred other applicants

@chainsaw old thread but how did it go?

A few deer spotted, animal numbers not great .... hey but they should mean more tucker and better potential heads,right? WARO had been pretty active the year we went in, so suspect they’d taken out quite a few. You got to get well away from the Hunter Valley proper to get onto them. Good numbers of chamois on the tops on true left (Dingle Burn side)