Sawnee
Sawnee is a 2,438-hectare roar block on the Molesworth Station and Clarence grazing lease, in the inland Marlborough country. Elevations run from 783 m to 1,916 m with a median of 1,097 m, so much of the block sits in the bush-edge band with a tail of country running up to the tops.
Thirty-seven per cent of the block sits above the 1,200 m bushline and 11% is alpine, putting it in the mix of bush and tops bracket. The country leans west-facing, with strong west, south-west and north-west aspects catching afternoon sun.
The permit covers red deer, chamois and wild pig. Reds work the bush edge and head-of-gully country, chamois the upper faces, and pigs the scrubby lower bands.
Open Sawnee on the interactive map
Boundary, huts, terrain, tracks and 1080 zones — all layers, one map.
Terrain & elevation
Based on a sample of 7,612 DEM points inside the block.
- Elevation range
- 783–1,916 m
- Median elevation
- 1,097 m
- Middle 50%
- 940–1,320 m
- Above bushline (1,200 m)
- 37%
- Alpine (1,500 m+)
- 11%
- Dominant aspect
- west-facing
783–1,916 m, a mix of bush and tops, leaning west-facing.
What you can hunt here
This is a roar — the red deer roar peaks from late March into April, and competition for the block is highest then.
Access & getting there
Air access is not permitted on Sawnee, and WARO is not permitted either, so the country is walked. Hunters work in from the legal access points on the Molesworth system.
No DOC huts sit within the block, so plan to fly camp or work from a base outside. Carry a fly or tent and check Molesworth access status before leaving — the station road network is seasonal.
Permits & rules
You need a DOC hunting permit to hunt this block. It is classed as a Roar block in the Molesworth Station and Clarence grazing lease permit area, with a hunting status of Restricted.
Sawnee is a Roar block with Restricted hunt status under the Molesworth Station and Clarence grazing lease permit area. Apply specifically for the roar period through DOC's standard process; rolling permits do not cover this block. Check current dates and access rules before applying.
1080 & pesticide status
No current, planned or proposed pesticide operations intersect this block in our data. Always confirm with DOC before taking a dog in.
Get roar & 1080 alerts for the areas you hunt
We'll email you when pesticide operations, ballot dates or access conditions change for Marlborough.
Sign up →