Vintage Fred Bear Recurve Bows and Recurve Target Shooting

[Narragansett]

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.

Montage of Bing Crosby & Phil Harris on The American Sportsman 1968-76 - YouTube

Really cool for a kid at the time.

I do believe it was Kurt Gowdy

 

[Old Arkansawyer]

My first bow was a Kodiak Hunter in the early 60's. My girl friend in the
70's bought me a Jennings compound. I still have the compound but gave the Bear bow to a young man wanting to bow hunt. I haven't shot any bow in 15 years and probably never will, don't know why I keep it around.
Both bows were effective in taking deer and I hunted in all seasons. Now
8-10 deer are in my mule pasture most days and eat salt I put out for
the mules. The thrill of the hunt is gone when they come up 15-20 yards
away and just look at me.

 

[somorris]

I also have a Bear Kodiac Hunter. I bought it new in 1974 and hunted with it every year until sometime in the early 1990’s. I bought a cross bow and quit using the recurve. After several years, I shot it a few times. My shoulder muscles were really sore the next day and I haven’t shot it since.

 

[alwslate]

If you're used to compounds even light recurves can be surprisingly hard to draw. You have to work into them and strengthen those unused muscles.

 

[H Richard]

My last bow was a Bear HC300 Tamerlane re-curve, 69". I had traded in a Hoyt Medalist for it. Bought in in 1969. Shot in NFAA and club match's, and club indoor 20 yard match's. I did win a 500 Club certificate from the NFAA. That was before compounds and release aids. I did use a sight, but only fingers for release. Shot that bow over 35 years and had lots of fun. My wife would join me for Indoor league, she shot a Wing bow.

Many years of enjoyment.

 

[Jebus35745]

If I remember correctly, Fred helped Jennings when he had problems staying alive. Not sure if Fred benefited from it but to help out your competitors I thought was a sign of a good person. Larry

 

[Skeet 028]

I had a few bows in my day. Killed 1st deer with a Pearson wooden recurve. Had a goodBrowning. Other Bear bows shot a deer or two with all. Bought a Super Kodiak the day before my daughter was born. Went on a hunt that day and shot a deer. Daughter was born after. That bow accounted for over 70 deer. It was only a 42 lb bow but I was shooting 31 in arrows so almost 50 lbs. When the compounds came out I sold them but to be honest I couldn't shoot them as well as recurves. I still have a 1st generation Bear Alaskan. But it didn't have much dropoff. Still have the, Super Kodiak and the Alaskan. The SK is probably worth a pretty penny these days. After helping Jennings Bear got access to the compound patents or so I was told

 

[TIMETRIPPER]

I had a Bear Grizzly given to me as a Christmas present in my early teens. Gift from my parents. Took several deer with it over the years and passed up many more as Pa used to allow only one tag per season and I was hoping for a buck. Can't count the number of doe I passed up in the autumn only to regret it later while shivering away in the December buck season!
Just before retiring two years ago I gave my old Grizzly to a coworker who was a keen archery hunter who had never shot with anything other than a compound bow. He was interested in trying a "real" bow.

John

 

[K-22]

Bear Polar

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?

I did not have a recurve, I had a reflex. It was a Bear, Polar, which I got for Christmas when I was 14. That would have been around 1959.
Great memories.

Best,
Gary

 

[TIMETRIPPER]

I remember watching the American Sportsman episode of Fred Bear hunting polar bears. Fred did some practice shooting by having someone tossing paper plates up in the air beside an ice outcrop and he pinned them to the berg with an arrow. Didn't miss a shot. I don't remember the bloody pics of the bear but we had a B&W TV.
I also recall the episode where William Shatner went brown bear hunting in Alaska with a bow. I believe the results shook him up so much that he quit hunting afterwards. Or perhaps it was due to the backlash he got from nonhunting fans.

John

 

[ColbyBruce]

PSA: Bows come apart

Those ancient recurves often delaminate due to age, quality, and improper storage. I have seen several come apart, one at full draw. Inspect an old bow very carefully.

 

[CajunBass]

I started bowhunting many years ago. My first bow was a Shakespere recurve #40 that Santa bought me. I sure lost a lot of arrows with that one.

From there most everything I had was a Bear of one type or another. I never killed anything with one, but spent many a day in the woods in October just enjoying being there. I did take a shot at buck once, but he jumped the string, and the arrow sailed right under him as he was in the air. I can still see him in the air today.

I seem to remember seeing Fred Bear hunting elephants on American Sportsman or some such show. I remember him stopping, and coming to full draw and releasing the arrow. I was wondering "What in the world is he shooting at?" It wasn't until after the shot, and the elephant exploded out of the brush, I realized the elephant was so big, I couldn't see it. Sort of a "can't see the forest for the trees thing I suppose. I'd never seen an animal that BIG. It just blended into the brush.

I think that hunt is on U-tube...I know what I'm going to do now.

There is a Fred Bear Polar Bear hunt there too. Don't know if the same one or not.

 

[JJOG]

Bear recurve bows were the only bows I've ever owned! If my shoulder were in better shape, I'd still enjoy archery.
Are Bear bows still being made today?

 

[alwslate]

Bear recurve bows are still being made today right here in the good old USA in a new production facility in Florida. They now make a variety of bows, compound and takedown recurves. They still have a line of traditional recurves that are probably better than ever. Most have reinforced limb tips to accommodate the new fast flight bow strings. Quality recurves for a lot less money than the few other recurve manufacturers whose prices start at about $1,000.00

 

[crankyoldlady]

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.

If Americans knew the truth, they would never eat chicken again.

 

[alwslate]

Chickens are not exactly treated with kindness.