President Teddy Roosevelt once remarked how impressed he was when meeting Lilly for the first time for a hunt. Lilly traveled all night to make the designated rendezvous and Roosevelt stated he has never met another man so indifferent to fatigue and hardship as Lilly.
“The morning Lilly joined us in camp, he had come on foot through the thick woods, followed by his two dogs, and had neither eaten nor drunk for twenty-four hours; for he did not like to drink the swamp water,” said Roosevelt. “It had rained hard throughout the night and he had no shelter, no rubber coat, nothing but the clothes he was wearing and the ground was too wet for him to lie on, so he perched in a crooked tree in the beating rain, much as if he had been a wild turkey. He equaled "https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fenimore_Cooper" "Fenimore Cooper" Cooper's ‘Deerslayer’ in woodcraft, in hardihood, in simplicity — and also in loquacity.”
There was no higher praise from our 26th president.
Lilly was so established pursuing mountain lion and bears the Federal Government hired him as a nuisance hunter. Lilly was a hound man, always using his dogs to scent track his prey, and always had a dog tied to his waist while his pursuit hounds gave chase.
The Legend of Ben Lilly
A portrait of Ben Lilly and his beloved hounds as seen at the NRA Whittington Center.
The bond between men and dogs is legendary, relying on each other as hunting partners for both protection and companionship. Ben Lilly was one such soul, who considered his faithful hounds as family. I’ve always been drawn to free-spirited men like Lilly, and I’m sure you will too, as I tell his tale.
Meet Ben Lilly
An infamous big game hunter and mountain man, Ben Lilly scoured much of the lower southwest hunting grizzly bears, mountain lions and black bears — you know, the tame stuff. He hunted as far north as Idaho and as south as old Mexico.
He shot deer to feed his hounds and was known for his tremendous stamina and endurance, many times walking 24 hours straight in pursuit of mountain lion, or simply trying to get to his destination.
New Mexico’s Gila National Forest was Lilly’s stomping ground.
Lilly pursuit of cougars and bears took him across rugged terrain like this.
Legendary Lilly Tale
Traipsing through the rugged southwest mountains for decades made Lilly one of the most respected and knowledgeable men alive to the flora and fauna of the region. However, too much time alone in your own world eventually catches up in your mind, making you think illogically.
As large as Lilly’s hunting world was, it seems he couldn’t escape the confines of his own thoughts. In his later years, Lilly was considered a “touch crazy.” Quoted to have said “solitude makes a man more observant of his surroundings,” he favored sleeping and eating outdoors, feeling uncomfortable inside the warm confines of a home.
His favorite rifles were a Winchester 1894 .30-30, used when hunting mountain lion and black bear, and a Winchester 1886 in .33 Winchester for Grizzly. Legend has it he stored his guns in hidden caves, swapping between the two depending on what he was hunting.
But it seems Lilly’s hiding spots were so good, he often forgot or couldn’t locate the caves he sometimes cached his food and supplies. While discussing Lilly with an amigo, who grew up and lives in the very region Lilly was known to hunt, he shared a story as we partook in the consumption of some mighty fine spirits.
Facing southwest, watching the sun dip below the silhouetted Mexican mountains, backlit by a fiery red sky, he continued…
A photograph of Lilly, on left, with his hounds.
A childhood friend’s grandfather met Lilly as a boy and Lilly told him about a rifle he lost — his beloved Winchester 1886. He said he left the rifle in a cave, leaning against the wall hidden behind a large rock, along with other supplies. Entrance is made through a tight crevice in the mountain.
My amigo also explained, on quiet nights, when conditions are just right the barking of hounds hot on the trail of a mountain lion can be heard, followed by the ramblings of an old, frustrated soul sounding “plum’ loco.”
And I believe him. After all, wouldn’t you be upset if you misplaced your rifle? As crazy as it sounds, I hope ol’ Lilly finds his rifle. He just may need it, so he can finally rest in peace.
