Bullacris obliqua is endemic to the west coast of South Africa, where it occurs in both the Western Cape and Northern Cape Provinces. It has a more patchy distribution than other Pneumoridae species inhabiting these areas. Its extent of occurrence (EOO) is ca 33,500 km² and its area of occupancy (AOO) is estimated to be between 100 and 3,000 km².
Bullacris obliqua emerges seasonally, and has been observed from August to November. The species is not commonly encountered in the field, despite fairly extensive surveys within its geographical range. It also appears to be absent from some areas where it was historically recorded to occur. Therefore, a continuing decline in the number of subpopulations and the number of mature individuals is inferred. The species has a discontinuous distribution with very small subpopulations, and there is unlikely to be much gene flow between geographically separated subpopulations as females are flightless. Therefore, the population is considered severely fragmented.