Like many of us older shooters, I bought new Bear bows in the early sixties because they were the best looking bows out there. The widows then, which were popular at the field archery tournaments, had black painted risers, skinny limbs and were not good looking bows in my opinion. An older couple, one of which had two NFAA National instinctive division (bare bow) titles, both shot widows so I could of easily been influenced, but I just liked the Bears. Coming back to archery over 50 years later and looking around, studying new bows, meeting people in archery, and participating in local shoots, the three 55 to 53 year old Bear bows I acquired recently still are the best looking bows around. I really like the classic look of my Bear bows and can just study the rosewood patterns in those old bows endlessly. Have to remember that rosewood itself became scarce by the mid sixties and by 1963, it was evident that the rose wood in the '59 to early '63 bows was much finer in grain and deeper in color than the rosewood I observed at tournaments in late 1963 through 1965. My old Bears are still great shooters too, but this is sort of icing on the cake. Just proud of'em.
While there are fantastic custom bows being made now in regard to smoothness, good performing limb veneers and great shooters, the old Bears may not ever be beat for that classic look. Thats why there has been three bow manufacturers who have used the old Bear bows for design and why Bear themselves now makes reproductions.
Topic: Collecting Bows, Why Bear? (Read 2432 times)
