Vintage Fred Bear Recurve Bows and Recurve Target Shooting

[TheHobbyist]

Some backstory: My Dad had a Fred Bear recurve bow he let me target shoot with as a kid. I forget the model, but recall it was from around 1960. I remember just being so impressed with how well it shot, the looks, and how finely crafted it was.

We had a couple other bows, but when we drove to the hunting club to spend time together, Dad would ask me what I was going to use first and it was always the Bear.

We enjoyed quite a few trips together going to the range for archery over the years and in doing so, I learned that my Dad and his did the same thing decades earlier. It was a quiet range out in the country and not too many folks would stop by, might get a few extra members stopping on a nice day.

The bow was lost or misplaced at some point, I don't know the whole story. I always thought that some day, if I stumble across one, I'll pick one up--no big rush, just recalling good memories. Well, I found one this week and picked it up.

My photography skills are not good, but I have attached the original ad for the one I picked up. Serial number places mine at 1965 vintage and it is in really good shape. I usually take a few shots before deer season each year to get acclimated but think that target shooting for fun with the old Bear will be a regular activity.

Anyone else have experience with these or enjoyed the old recurves?

 

[twodog max]

I shot recurve bows for many years after the compound craze and did until my shoulder swarmed about 20 years ago. I still have my first bear bow a Grizzly early 70 vintage bought at Wal Mart. Even killed a few deer with it.
If my shoulders would let me i would still be shooting them. I sometimes think about just loading up on ibuprofen and shooting a while.
Simple things work so good.

 

[Rudi]

Much better than a wheel bow.

 

[Bajadoc]

Very nice. I have always found archery interesting. I have had a few compound bows but I think I will find a recurve and give it a try.

 

[Jebus35745]

From my old days, that looks like the Bear Tamerlane in the picture. My uncle bought one, it was the target bow of the day. Sell for a good price on eBay today.

Would like to shoot a bow again but the shoulders aren’t what they used to be. Plus arrows are way too expensive, want arrows with actual feathers on them. Larry

 

[jeffrefrig]

I got this old Bear from Dad when I was about 10. (1967+-) He traded for it for a dozen golf balls. We had a lot of fun with it up at the cottage growing up. I’d be leery of stringing it now.

 

[delcrossv]

My hunting bow is a Groves recurve. Never got into wheelbows.

 

[Eric300]

I still have my Bear Grizzly Recurve (circa 1966) that I got when I was in my early teens (just turned 65 last week). I still shoot it quite a bit all these years later. Although I do the majority of my archery shooting/hunting with a compound bow, I still enjoy shooting my recurve.

I have an old hand-made long bow too, but that one just stays on the wall for decoration.

 

[Narragansett]

Man, this brought back a memory. I do not recall the date but it was the late 50's or early sixties there used to be a show called The American Sportsman on TV.

Well, I watched the episode with that old pompous fool Fred Bear as he went to some place up north to hunt polar bears. Well he shot one with his bow, and the thing sat on its' rear end and was fumbling with the arrow while blood gushed all over its' white fur.

The public outcry was so strong, they nearly took the show off the air. After that it was mostly fishing, and an occasional bird hunt.

It was a terrible sight to see. Especially on National TV

 

[Jebus35745]

Rereading this thread, still have my Bear Polar Ltd compound downstairs, that’s the bow I would shoot if I could. Bought it from JC Penny’s years ago at the Cleveland Sportsman Show. That’s when Penny’s and Sears sold guns, been a while!! Guess I’m showing my age, Larry

 

[llowry61]

Man, this brought back a memory. I do not recall the date but it was the late 50's or early sixties there used to be a show called The American Sportsman on TV.

Well, I watched the episode with that old pompous fool Fred Bear as he went to some place up north to hunt polar bears. Well he shot one with his bow, and the thing sat on its' rear end and was fumbling with the arrow while blood gushed all over its' white fur.

The public outcry was so strong, they nearly took the show off the air. After that it was mostly fishing, and an occasional bird hunt.

It was a terrible sight to see. Especially on National TV

I started out with a Bear Grizzly and my dad had a Kodiak. I did not kill a deer with mine but he did. We assembled out own arrows with a fletching jig etc. It was a good father son activity.

Narragansett, are you talking about the show with Kurt Gowdy? I used to watch it too. I did not see the Polar Bear episode, but that was the only hunting show that I recall airing in the 60's / 70's. I recall watching Bing Crosby pheasant hunting.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCWkegFqMC4[/ame]

Really cool for a kid at the time.

 

[jeffrefrig]

"Well, I watched the episode with that old pompous fool Fred Bear as he went to some place up north to hunt polar bears. Well he shot one with his bow, and the thing sat on its' rear end and was fumbling with the arrow while blood gushed all over its' white fur." Pete

So, what pound bow do you need on a polar bear?
I remember a day when it was very little football but a lot of outdoor shows and weird sports. 'Course I was outside ASAP doing anything to stay away from Mom!!

 

[Eric300]

Man, this brought back a memory. I do not recall the date but it was the late 50's or early sixties there used to be a show called The American Sportsman on TV.

Well, I watched the episode with that old pompous fool Fred Bear as he went to some place up north to hunt polar bears. Well he shot one with his bow, and the thing sat on its' rear end and was fumbling with the arrow while blood gushed all over its' white fur.

The public outcry was so strong, they nearly took the show off the air. After that it was mostly fishing, and an occasional bird hunt.

It was a terrible sight to see. Especially on National TV

Most people can't handle reality. Especially when it comes to hunting. So, I guess airing a baby harp seal hunt was out of the question, eh?


The man, the myth, the legend.....FRED BEAR - Hanging proudly on my wall.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsOHX95LSKc[/ame]

 

[Salty RI]

I liked Wing bows but I did have one Bear the Kodiak Magnum.

Sent from my LGL455DL using Tapatalk

 

[dave1918a2]

I always wanted a Kodiak Magnum.

 

[alwslate]

Fred Bear, a pompous old fool?? Frea Bear was A truly great hunter and the founder of Bear Archery. Many thousands of hunters have used and still buy Bear Archery hunting bows. They sell high quality bows at prices the average hunter can afford. NO, the reality of hunting isn't always pretty but somebody kills every cow and hog that people buy in neatly wrapped packages at the grocery store labeled as steaks and chops rather than dead cow or dead hog. Hunters and all archers owe a great deal to the great Fred Bear.

 

[Salty RI]

At one of our town meetings a woman wanted to ban hunting, she said she couldn't understand why some people hunt for their food when they can go to the store and buy it and nothing has to die .

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[alwslate]

At one of our town meetings a woman wanted to ban hunting, she said she couldn't understand why some people hunt for their food when they can go to the store and buy it and nothing has to die .

Sent from my LGL455DL using Tapatalk

Now you're talking about pompous fools

 

[llowry61]

I don't think most people could have handled 25 days in the arctic to finally get in range of a Polar bear. That is some serious stuff, so rest assured that bear did not come easily.

Fred was a unique guy, and he did all of his own field research and testing really developing the modern bow's broadheads etc.

He figured out that filming the hunts and being first to harvest an animal with a bow was a way for him to accomplish the field testing and get free advertising.

My buddy had a Pearson recurve and was always envious of my Grizzly. They all shot straight, and the limited range taught us how to move quietly to get close to animals. We would stalk ground hogs, squirrels, rabbits etc.

You learn patience when bow hunting that's for sure.

 

[JohnRippert]

Back in late 2006, just a few months before Dan Quillian passed away I bought a 50lb longbow from him. I still have it in the 6 foot section of aluminum gutter spout he used for shipping. I started with archery in a friends back yard at the age of 7, no parental supervision back in those days. Unfortunately I have not drawn a bow in decades now, but I still pull out that longbow and string it up for old times sake.