THE spring buying frenzy continued at last week's special store sale of 7000 sheep at Wycheproof, with first-cross ewes and lambs selling to $366.

Elders Wycheproof manager Jim Coffey said the price was thought to be a new record for Wycheproof and surprised agents as well as the vendors.

"Overall, I was very pleased with the result," Mr Coffey said.

"I thought it probably did dip away in places and there were some good buying opportunities to be had.

"I reckon the hype of our last sale - and Hillston and Hay during the week - might have scared a few people off. We didn't have the hype and the fizz (this time) that our last sale had."

First-cross ewes and lambs sold for $354 to $366, unjoined first-cross ewes made $138-$226 and one pen of joined first-cross ewes fetched $239.

The sole pen of Merino ewes with lambs sold for $180, while the 1999 unjoined Merino ewes made $84-$200 and 1423 Merino wethers sold for $60-$100.

By comparison, unjoined first-cross ewes made $148-$252 last month, unjoined Merino ewes made $144-$168 and Merino wethers sold for $80-$130.

Opening the sale, Elders auctioneer Kevin Thompson told the crowd the yarding was only small because it was "a sign of the times".

The yarding of 7000 sheep was above the advertised 6000 but well down on the 26,500 sold at Wycheproof in September 2008.

Mark McPherson, of Brim, paid the day's top price of $366 for a pen of 158 Border Leicester-Merino April-May 2008-drop ewes, July-shorn, with 273 Poll Dorset lambs up to 10 weeks, from RE and SF Coatsworth, of Wycheproof.

A client of Elders Rainbow paid $239 for the sole pen of joined ewes - 96 August-September 2009-drop, August-shorn, first-cross ewes, which had been joined to Poll Dorset rams.

The frenzy eased once buyers moved on to the unjoined first-cross ewes, but the pace picked up again once they reached the unjoined Merino ewes.

A pen of 609 wethers was passed in after bidding stalled at $114.

Processor RH Woodward paid $100 for 310 SAMM-cross, April-May 2010-drop, woolly wethers from Gulthul Pty Ltd, of Wycheproof.