Banteng - Outdoors International

The banteng is a species of wild cattle found in Southeast Asia. The domesticated form of the banteng was first introduced to Australia in 1849 with the establishment of a British military outpost called Port Essington on the Cobourg Peninsula. Twenty animals were taken to the western Arnhem Land, in present-day Northern Territory, as a source of meat. A year after the outpost’s establishment, poor conditions including crop failure and tropical disease led to its abandonment.

On the departure of British troops, the banteng were released from their grazing pastures and allowed to form a feral population. By the 1960s, researchers realized that a population of about 1,500 individuals had developed in the tropical forests of the Cobourg Peninsula.

Australia is the only place in the world to hunt Banteng!

Since their introduction in 1849, the population has not strayed far from its initial point of domesticated life; all currently live within the Garig Gunak Barlu National Park. As of 2007, the initial population had grown from only 20 in 1849 to 8,000-10,000 and is used exclusively for sport hunting and by Aboriginal subsistence hunters.

Recommended caliber for banteng hunting in Australia is the 375 or above, with shooting distances typically under 100 yards. This is one of the pure and genuine hunts that you will remember for a lifetime. Banteng hunting in Australia is as much about the hunt as it is about the trophy, and it is a great combination with water buffalo.