Image by Cassandra Clark - caught at Kendall River Station in Cape York, QLD in 2018 - btw he was ear tagged and horn tipped in the truck after he was caught!
Who's a pretty boy then? If you've been front and centre with a Mickey Bull like this fella above - you know there's a solid yard railing between you and him. I've heard many a war story of 'Mickey' encounters either in the yards, on a bike or on horseback - mostly close shaves and uninjured, with many a ringer high tailing it up a tree; and other's who were not so lucky including injured horses from a Mickey's unclipped horns. Most of these bulls have not seen a human in their life, so look out when they do!
Basically, a 'Mickey Bull' or 'Scrub Bull' is a young bull that slipped through the muster and never got castrated or branded, thus the name 'Cleanskin' as they are also commonly called. On ranches in the US they are referred to as 'Mavericks'.
These cleanskin bulls can go bush for years - some never having seen a human before - and later show up running with the cows and trying to breed when they shouldn’t be. Because they can throw unknown genetics into the herd, they’re usually drafted out pretty quickly when spotted.
The Mickey's are usually caught by bullcatchers (typically modified Toyota vehicles fitted with a hydraulic 'bionic' arm), often working alongside ringers in helicopters, on horseback and on bikes. And of course, plenty of mickey bulls have been 'bull dogged' and tied down 'the old-fashioned way' by ringers themselves.
Image by Stacey Ford
So whilst station workers know what a 'Mickey' is, the origin of the name isn’t exactly clear. Like plenty of bush yarns, there are a few different stories behind the name when I asked the question recently on the RFTTE FB group...
A popular theory links the name to the phrase 'taking the mickey', meaning to tease or cause trouble. A rogue bull sneaking into the breeding mob and serving cows could easily be seen as taking the mickey out of the station owner.
Image by Cassandra Clark - caught up at Kendall River Station in Cape York, QLD in 2018
Some also believe the name may come from Irish bush slang, as many early settlers, drovers and stockmen were Irish, along the lines of a young cleanskin bull being a bit wild and unruly, like one of those 'young Irish Micks'. Or Mickey, usually means poor, uneducated in Irish slang…
It could have also been derived from the rhyming slang 'Mickey Finn - Cleanskin' ...a Mickey Finn being a spiked drink... slipped a Mickey!
There are also a few more bush explanations with a bit of 'mayo' on them. Some old hands reckon the name comes from the round ears of young bulls, which supposedly look a bit like Mickey Mouse ears. Whether that’s true or not is anyone’s guess… like most bush nicknames, it probably started as a joke and stuck.
Any other theories where the term Mickey came from... or a picture of one? Let me know (simon@rfttejobs.com) and we'll add it to the blog.
VIEW JANE TAYLOR'S IMAGES: IN THE YARDS WITH A MICKEY BULL!
GIBB RIVER MICKET BULLS ON INSTAGRAM: VIEW HERE
Mickey Bull video below by mmbrobandvil via TikTok
