by John Seerey-Lester | May 30, 2025
A hunter extraordinaire, Ben Lilly was regarded by his contemporaries as one of the greatest bear-slayers of his time.
by Duncan Dobie | Jun 12, 2024
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...
by Duncan Dobie | Sep 23, 2019
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...
by Duncan Dobie | Sep 10, 2019
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...