Few items of Bear Archery gear are more classic to the era in which they were offered than the various versions of the 3- and 4-arrow leather-top bowquivers. They symbolize, I think, both a connection to the past with their distinctive leather top and a leap into the future with their then state-of-the-art metal frame and mounting system. They were also offered in at least five chief styles. Each of those main styles was cataloged by Bear Archery as follows: (my paper Bear Archery catalogs go back only to 1947):
3-Arrow Single-Screw Leather Scabbard Bowquiver – 1947 to 1955
3-Arrow Single-Screw Open-Frame Bowquiver – 1956
4-Arrow Leather-Top Single-Screw Bowquiver – 1957 to 1971 (15 years)
4-Arrow Leather-Top Tape-On Bowquiver – 1957 to 1971 (15 years)
4-Arrow Leather-Top Double-Spring-Arm Bowquiver – 1965 to 1970 (just 6 years)
Here are some of those styles. From left to right are a 3-Arrow Single-Screw Leather Scabbard on a 1950 Bear Kodiak, a 4-Arrow Leather-Top Single-Screw (without insert-blade cutout) on a 1959 Kodiak, a 4-Arrow Leather-Top Single-Screw (top) and a 4-Arrow Leather-Top Tape-On (bottom), a 4-Arrow Leather-Top Double-Spring-Arm on a 1966 Kodiak and finally a 8-Arrow Plastic-Top Double-Spring-Arm on a 1969 Super Kodiak.
Of all of these, the early 3-arrow and the slightly later 4-Arrow Leather-Top Single-Screw models seem the most collectable.
In 1963 Bear Archery introduced the soon-to-become-popular 8-Arrow Plastic-Top Double-Spring-Arm Bowquiver. That, along with the 8-Arrow Plastic Top Single-Spring-Arm Converta Bowquiver were cataloged for many years.
8-Arrow Plastic-Top Double-Spring-Arm Bowquiver – 1963 to 1977 (15 years)
8-Arrow Plastic Top Single-Spring-Arm Converta Bowquiver – 1970 to 1985 (16 years)
Users today seem most interested on the 4-Arrow Leather-Top Double-Spring-Arm (shown here on a 1966 Kodiak) and the 8-Arrow Plastic-Top Double-Spring-Arm Bowquiver (shown on a 1969 Super Kodiak).
Bear Archery bowquivers remain a fascinating subset of collectable/historical Bear bowhunting gear.