The Bear Slayer

The Bear Slayer

A hunter extraordinaire, Ben Lilly was regarded by his contemporaries as one of the greatest bear-slayers of his time.

Ben Lilly The Last Mountain Man

Ben Lilly The Last Mountain Man

After the honorable David Crockett of Tennessee, Ben Lilly was said to be the greatest bear hunter in American history. He reputedly killed more bears with a knife in hand-to-hand combat than Ol’ Davy ever attempted to “grin” down. In truth, Ben Lilly no doubt killed...
The Last Days of Ben Lilly

The Last Days of Ben Lilly

After the presidential bear hunt, Lilly went back to Texas and soon drifted across the border into Mexico, continuing his pursuit of black bears and cougars with a vengeance. He gained even more renown hunting the few remaining grizzlies in the Sierra Madre Mountains...
President Theodore Roosevelt on Mountain Man Ben Lilly

President Theodore Roosevelt on Mountain Man Ben Lilly

Roosevelt greatly enjoyed his time with Ben Lilly. He later wrote: “I never met any other man so indifferent to fatigue and hardship. The morning he joined us in camp, he had come on foot through the thick woods, followed by his two dogs, and had neither eaten nor...