Fred Bear Museum

[emac396]

I am heading to Kalamazoo tomorrow and remember as a kid my Dad taking me to Fred Bear Museum, google leads me to believe its tore down and moved to Fla??? Anything in couple hour radius that would be worth going to? Really wanted to go back to museum

[Roger Norris]

The museum is long gone...sadly.

[Onehair]

Picked up by BassPro and I think scattered all across the country. I did go to Gainesville twice and spent hours and still wanted to go back. An unbelievable collection.

[Zbone]

I visited it once when it was in Gainesville FL, it was really cool... It set above the working factory and you could view workers performing their craft through big glass windows...

Don't know how true, but heard since most of the museum displays were split up but some went to the Pro Bass in MO...

[Clint B.]

museum

[Roger Norris]

When I was a kid, my Grandparents had 200 acres near Grayling.I spent every summer up there...we would go to the museum at least twice. My Grandpa was a little squat Irishman, but his face resembled Fred Bear....he had a great time sitting in restaurants in Grayling, and letting folks buy "Mr. Bear" a cup of coffee.

I spent soooo much time in the theater there, watching the Fred Bear movies. Other kids played cowboys and Indians.....I played "Fred Bear" all summer, sneaking around my Grandpas woods. He put a bounty on "gophers" (13 lined ground squirrels) because they chewed on Grandmas gladiolas. That gopher bounty kept me in beef jerky, Mountain Dew, and Sgt Rock comic books all summer long. Being a kid, and not understanding game laws whatsoever....I even ran a "trout trapline". Brook trout for breakfast every day.

Dang I miss those day.....

[emac396]

I have a pic of me and my Mother under a huge bear and I remember a spider fell on my Mom from his paw,  she was scared to death of spiders LOL

[ron w]

I went to the Museum in Grayling with my wife on a motorcycle trip in 1978. It was really neat, that man had mounts of everything, from chipmunks to pachyderms. Great archery history section with some great artifacts. I'll never forget that motorcycle trip for 2 reasons, the museum and that it rained  every afternoon the whole trip....lol!

[WESTBROOK]

I was there in '76....12 years old, met Mr.Bear and got a signed copy of "Field Notes" that had just came out.

[Rick Butler]

Visited the museum in Grayling a few times on our way to the UP.

[Bryan Korte]

If I remember right, but don't quote me 100%.  The Pope & Young /St. Charles Museum of Bowhunting in Chatfield Minnesota has some Fred Bear stuff in it too. Theres tons of longbow's, recurves, broad heads and many other things on display. I have only been there once and definitely intend to make a trip up there again soon to see it again. I was very impressed with it.  And I have definitely been told about the Bass pro in Springfield Mo. Has a lot of Fred Bear stuff.

[Bazooka Joe]

I went to Gainesville and met Frank Scot and got a tour with him.  I was a sponsored Olympic shooter and had a custom take down with I wanted to donate to the museum as it had several add on's.  

A week later Frank died and I still have the bow otherwise who knows where it would be.

[DennyK]

I made 2 trips there. At the time you think it's gonna be there forever.
 I met Frank Scott at Bear Archery Center in Grand Rapids, Mich. owned by Ken "pop" Englebretsen Sr. Both Great Guys.

[cmh]

Makes me sad in a way that the museum is no longer there..... Scattered to the wind like leaves. Not a fitting tribute to Papa Bear.  :(