"Scrub Bull Country": Wild Horn and Red Dirt Country - The Outback
- AussieJohn
- Apr 30
- 3 min read
Scrub Bull Country: Wild Horn and Red Dirt
I’ve hunted scrub bulls in far north Queensland and the Top End of Western Australia. With both rifle and bow. If you’re lucky, it’s a wild ride. If you’re not, it’s hell on four legs.
A scrub bull isn’t some ghost of the bush. It’s a beast of muscle and rage. Born from cattle turned feral. Left too long in country too wild. They don’t run from man. They charge him.
Flying In and Bearing Down: Scrub Bull in Two Acts
I flew into Kununurra, Western Australia, with the dust of Queensland still on my boots and the heat rising early. From there, we lifted off in a chopper—doors off, wind screaming, the horizon folding out ahead. The Cockburn Range cut a jagged line across the sky, and we touched down high on a bluff for photos. Red stone and silence. Then skimming low over the Pentecost River, crocs slid off banks below and anglers cast for barra in the morning light. It was raw, wild country from the air—and it only got wilder from there.
We spent three or four days in a place we’d come to call New York, New York. Rocky, hot, and hemmed in by steep mountains, the scrub bulls moved through it like ghosts in an abandoned city. We stalked them hard and shot straight. Some came easy, others not. Every shot carried weight.
Later, I headed for the Top End, near the tip of the Cape. This time with a bow in hand and sweat soaking my spine. There’s no forgiveness up there. You draw, you breathe, and you make it count. The bull came hard and didn’t give much room. But the arrow flew clean.
Scrub bull country isn't for tourists. But if you're a hunter with fire in your gut, it’s the kind of trip that leaves its mark.
They live in the hard places. Floodplains. Paperbark groves. Thorny scrub thick enough to break your skin and hide a ton of angry bull. Their horns curve like scythes, and they know how to use them. One minute you’re glassing a sunlit flat. The next, you’re backing away with sweat on your palms and your finger firm on the trigger.
I’ve seen them soak up lead and keep coming. I've also seen them vanish like smoke in the shadows. Don’t let their bulk fool you. They’re smart. Cunning. They test the wind. They loop around you. They wait.
Most scrub bull hunts come as part of a combo—water buffalo, banteng, and a bull or two thrown in. They're cheaper than the other two, sure. But don’t let the price tag fool you. These are not easy animals.
They’re hard, wild, and pissed off. That’s the truth.
The perfect hunt? A big NT water buffalo, a dark-shouldered banteng, and a couple of bulls for good measure.
If your looking to hunt scrub bulls then I can recommend Outfits like High Country Safaris Australia, run by Peter Edser, know this game well. Peter’s put men onto buffalo and bulls for years. His country is remote. His bulls are wild.
He won’t promise easy. He’ll promise honest. And that’s all a hunter needs.
You don’t take scrub bulls lightly. Not if you want to walk out in one piece. But if you want a hunt with heart—one that leaves your shirt torn and your soul alive—then the bulls are waiting.
Gear You’ll Want in Scrub Bull Country
Reliable rifle: .375 or larger. These bulls don’t forgive.
(Outfitters have these available for rental)
Heavy-duty ammo: Controlled expansion. Penetration matters more than speed.
Sturdy boots: The scrub will chew soft soles and weaker men.
Long-sleeve shirt and tough pants: Protection from thorns, sun, and flies.
Binoculars: Good glass keeps you alive and on target.
Hydration pack: It's hot. You’ll sweat buckets.
Satellite messenger or GPS: You’re a long way from help. (Outfitters have these)
First aid kit: For cuts, bites, blisters—or worse. (Outfitters have these)
Camera: If you survive it, you’ll want to remember it.
Ready to Take on the Bulls?
If you’ve got grit, Peter Edser of High Country Safaris Australia has the ground and the game. Hunts include wild scrub bulls, buffalo, and banteng across some of the toughest and most beautiful land in the Northern Territory.
📍 Remote country. Real bulls. Honest hunting.
📩 Contact Peter to talk about dates, gear, and what kind of hunter you are.
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