Does anyone know anything about Ben Lilly?I know he guided Teddy Roosevelt and was a great bear and puma Hunter for the us goverment!Did he use a single shot black powder rifle,etc.What area did he hunt?

I'm opersting just on memory from research, but I think his favorite weapon was a handmade knife with an S shaped blade. I believe he used any weapon at hand, but was known to stash a lever 30-30 in areas. That left him fast on his feet, yet rifle available, sometimes. He worked with dogs quite a bit, but was as hard on the dogs as he was on himself.

Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, all the Rocky Mountains and states.

He is most commonly known for his knife construction, left little trail other than that.

It is hard to find lots of information about him, which would probably please him.

Iam like you in my memory,I think he was born in alabama,grew up in mississippi,was cousin to jeb stewert who also made his own sword,would never hunt on sunday and would make his hounds tree puma or bear until monday when he would hunt again,was a sorta hunter/johnny appleseed?would never give up a track and his dogs knew this and would wait on him at a treed cat or bear until he showed up for them or they starved to death!I have never understood why he is not known as well as boone & crockett?He was the toughest bear & cat hunter i have ever heard of.His favorite meal was puma steaks and he wore puma skin cloths!I do know he killed bear with the s-shaped knife and would love to have a custom done up like his!I dont think i would try to take on a mad bear though!Not with a loaded gun in my hands anyway!!! I hope to find out more about this famous hunter.

He never sought out notariety, kept to his own company most of the time.

I understand his reason for the knife was that it left him fleet of foot (no rifle), but his technique of pissing off the bear into a charge, so he could jump on his back while driving the knife home, well, not for everyone.

I also believe he liked his knives HARD tempered so they would break off (in the bear) rather than pull out, which is why there are so few of them surviving.

All in all, an interesting individual!

He hunted mostly in NM I think. Although when he left on a hunt, he never knew where he would end up. There is a small monument in Northern NM for him. There is a good book written by J. Frank Dobie called The Ben Lilly Legend.

Ben Lilly was a hunter who worked for the Gov. and worked for ranchers killing lions and bears for bounty. He has often been called the "last of the true mountain men"... He did help guide Teddy Roosevelt but made a name for himself in AZ and New Mex killing lions and bears for many years.

He also trailed, finally caught and killed what they think was the last grizzly bear in AZ, in the White Mountains. (He called those desert grizzlies "sunburned bears")

There are multiple books about him and he was a pretty interesting (strange) guy. He was a bit of a lunatic if you ask me. Very eccentric, border line nutcase. But did some unbelievable things.

There is a monument erected for him in Silver City, New Mex. They can find books about him at High Lonesome Books in NM. I think they have a website.

Even if half of what they said about Ben Lilly was true, it would still make him the most fascinating character the southwest has ever seen.

I found out about him by accident one day looking in a old outdoor life mag.I noticed the pic they had of him in the book with T.R.on a sand bar on a creek and ben was holding a winchester lever 45-70!What really caught my eye was he was the spitting imagie of my Hog Hunting Partner!Reincarnate iam talking about!!
Really rolled me over!Anyway after studing ben some more I thought dang,iam gonna get me one of those 45-70 Govt.Win lever rifles and hunt bear like old papa ben!Well I went down to the local Gunshop and asked if they had one in stock,The fellow behind the counter said he thought he did but it was a special Fancyone!
I told him go get it,Thats what i want.He came back and a crowd of folks looked as we opened it up and there she was,all engraved with bears and elk all over,trimmed in gold leaf,absolutely beautiful rifle and i was all ready figureing on how to pay for it and talk the little lady into me needing one bad for bear and such.When all of a sudden my caught something that didnt look right on the barrel,low and behold there it was...MADE IN JAPAN!!!!
Everyone else saw it to,and couldnt believe winchester was made in japan!Well i left it were it was,Figure if i was gonna spend my hard earned money on something that I really wantedbad,iit was gonna have MADE IN USA. on its barrel!Havent found one yet in 45-70 like old papa ben was holding,they are as scarce as hens teeth!Anyway thats how I found out winchester makes there rifles in JAPAN!

I would love to see hollywood make a movie about ben,something like the Judge roy bean movie!Man that would be neat!Who could play him?Will greer that played bear claw in jerimiah johnson isnt around,man they dont make movies like that one anymore,musta seen it over a hundred times!I was just born to late!
That reminds me I need to clean my muzzle loader,unstring my bow & hug my 30-30 lever!!!

Anyway,I got time for the rest of this story.Old ben showed me something thru time.By me trying to put together a hunting outfit like he used with that big old heavy rifle,i found something out.In his time the president,T.R., was hunting bear,lion,rhino,etc.with real mountain men such as himself,ben.But now days,winchesters are made in japan and the presidents dont go on safaris or get charged by lions,or lead charges into battle.Hell all our jobs have been sent over seas!All our consumer products are made overseas!Trespassing signs everywhere,Traffic Jams,I guess times sure have changed since old ben lillys day!!!I wonder what he would think now!!!Oh yes for the folks that dont know ben,he slept in a tree instead of indoors,even in blizzards,and walked everywhere,never rode a horse.I think he was a Really free man......in the wilderness...A TRUE HUNTER

I forgot to tell you guys,I cant get my old hog huntting buddy to play ben in that movie either,he got eat up by a pack of wild hogs!!!!

Hello;
For a biography of the man, including a photograph, see The Bear Hunter's Century, by Paul Schullery. Sorry I'm too computer illiterate to post a picture, but he looks like a wild character and apparently lived up to his appearance.
Grizz

The Dallas Cowboys had a Bob Lilly on their team. He hunted Chicago Bears with his bare hands.

BLACKBEARHUNTER -"I would love to see hollywood make a movie about ben,something like the Judge roy bean movie!Man that would be neat!Who could play him?"
________________________________________________
B.B.H., there are only two, really manly men in Hollywood who would be perfect for the part of Ben Lilly. Dustin Hoffman, or Richard Dryfess.
Now THERE are two studs!!


BTW folks, if you want to read the true account of the greatest Black bear hunter of them all, get the fascinating copy of "DANIEL BOONE, The Life And Legend Of An American Pioneer," by John Mack Faragher, Publ. Henry Holt & Co., New York.

L.W.

carpetman,Thats a good one!