“People think you have to go flat out,” says contract musterer and chopper pilot Angus Davis. “But it’s not about speed. Bull catching is all about anticipation."
Story + Photos Fiona Lake
"You’ve just got to be patient. They’re a wild animal that has never had anything to do with people or machines. They’re used to running free.”
There’s no shortcut to honing this predictive skill. Like all the best bull catchers, Angus has spent thousands of hours observing how cattle react when mustered from the ground then the air, living and breathing it across northern Australia. “More is learned on places where everything is against you from the start,” Angus says. Working on Mallapunyah Springs station for Bill Darcy has been a particular highlight. “I learned so much from him – the best in the business. He’s an absolute natural – he can make any animal do what he wants it to do.”
Angus blames Nockatunga pilot Simon Cobb for giving him the “itching for flying” 23 years ago. He began his flying career with Kerry Slingsby’s Kununurra-based Heliwork (now HeliSpirit), then ran his own chopper mustering business in western Queensland for a decade. Among it were stints chasing Top End buffalo, Gulf and Peninsula work. His family is now based near Toowoomba, Qld, but the call of the Kimberley has lured him north for the last 6 dry seasons. Angus met chopper pilot Rick Stormon on Consolidated Pastoral Company-owned Carlton Hill 24 years ago, and he has known subcontracting bull catcher Tommy Austin for 10 years.
At the end of each dry season, when the long hot dusty days start to grate, they all question whether they’ll be chasing wild bulls again next year. But then they are.
This story excerpt is from Issue #159
Outback Magazine: February/March 2025
