Does Bear Archery finally get it?

[The Great Jashu]

Those of us who love the Grayling built Bear bows might finally have a modern Bear worth buying. In the new TBM that came today I see they are building a K-mag, Super K and Super Grizzly like they used to look in the 60's and 70's. Yet these bows should have modern characteristics of performance. The K-mag is under its 50th year of construction, thus the anniversary. Is this just a retro marketing ploy? Or, does Bear finally get it and are going to build bows that people might want? Either way I will be looking to get my hands on that Super K.

[Rick Butler]

I really like that K Mag. Hope to try one out at Kalamazoo.

[vtmtnman]

They get it a little,but like I told the rep at Denton,you guys forgot the 59 repo.That probably would've out sold even the Take downs.

I plan to order a B riser take down in the spring.

[kill shot]

I would like to see a new 1964 bear polar. Mine was 66", 45#. That thing shot like it had eyes. It was smooth to draw and a joy to shoot when the temp was in the single digits.

[hawk4570]

I would go for a 59er

[HcSmitty]

Man...i want the new Grixxly they are coming out with.

[HcSmitty]

Grizzly*

[Eugene Slagle]

My first Real bow was a 72' Bear super Grizzly my grandfather bought for me in 81' 45# 58" she shot like a dream & still does.

I'd like to see what the new offerings they have in respect to their herritage.

[Burnsie]

I'm going to give them a close look at Kalamazoo, they look good in the advertisements, I want to see the fit and finish and shooting characteristics.

[Ironman]

I think I need a new super grizzly.Like the add says who knows how long they will be available again.

[Bjorn]

Time will tell if they are willing to get serious-let's face it they have been asleep for a over a generation as far as trad gear goes.

[cacciatore]

For sure they are making some improovements over the past line,but think about Fred:he was able to design new bows every year with some new feature everytime.Here you see the same bows that were made 30-50 years ago,are just replicas.
Since he sold the factory and the plans were moved to FL,just copies.I like the new exotic risers and the TD,but for me the Grayling bows remain the Grayling bows:the Original.

[SEMO_HUNTER]

If I'm not mistaken.......Bear was bought out by Jennings, then Jennings was bought out by PSE??
So your not actually buying a Bear bow anymore.....it's made by PSE, which isn't such a bad thing either. PSE has and still does make some really nice bows, although they never were too big into the traditional end of archery.....except for that Coyote take down recurve and it was a big POS!
I had the Coyote recurve at one time and gave it ample time to impress me and it never did. Not very accurate and noisy.......no matter what I tried I just couldn't get those 2 problems worked out so I sold it.

I would also like to get my hands on one of those 48" Kodiak Super mags. That would be just about perfect for my blind. Whether they are made by PSE now or not, I've always wanted a Super K Mag.

[LV2HUNT]

Well they got the concept now they got to get them on the street.

[The Great Jashu]

Originally posted by SEMO_HUNTER:
If I'm not mistaken.......Bear was bought out by Jennings, then Jennings was bought out by PSE??
So your not actually buying a Bear bow anymore.....it's made by PSE, which isn't such a bad thing either. PSE has and still does make some really nice bows, although they never were too big into the traditional end of archery.....except for that Coyote take down recurve and it was a big POS!
I had the Coyote recurve at one time and gave it ample time to impress me and it never did. Not very accurate and noisy.......no matter what I tried I just couldn't get those 2 problems worked out so I sold it.

I would also like to get my hands on one of those 48" Kodiak Super mags. That would be just about perfect for my blind. Whether they are made by PSE now or not, I've always wanted a Super K Mag.

PSE has nothing to do with them. Its parent company is Escalade Sports. There was a Bear / Jennings merger in the early 80's. That was more of Bear taking over an ailing Jennings. Tom Jennings and Fred Bear were still alive when that happened. There is a lot more hisotry in the archery business as to who owns/owned who. In my opinion its just the Bear name now and the Florida factory. What I was hoping was the powers that be at Bear may see that they can be in the trad world, if they only catch up with what trad archers want. Everyone is exactly right with the 59, myself included. I would buy one of those.

[KYArcher]

A 59 would be Nice!..........KY

[Bowwild]

The bowyers at Bear have a very strong connection to Mr. Bear and his bowyers.  They do know how to make the bows.  However, I imgaine the parent company (Escalade) has something to say about product lines, quality of production, research and development, etc.  

I have two Supremes (TD) and I think they are terrific. I haven't liked any of the 1-pieces since the late 60's.  However, I think the new (green-glass) Super K looks good.  I'll likely by an A riser TD or the Super K in a few months.

I was recently at a meeting of the ATA.  I asked a panel of vendors about the current popularity of traditional archery. I was very disappointed and surprised in their obvioius lack of interest in the subject. They reported that traditional sales continue to be stagnant. I thought "we" were on the upsurge?

I think the archery manufacturors are less than enthused with traditional archery because we don't buy much "stuff" with our bows.  We don't buy sights, release aids, stabilizers, bow handles, straps, any number of countless other gizmos and gadgets. Many of us would rather make our accessories than buy em off the shelf.

The thing I've seen that we do is speak up for our passion to bowhunt more than other groups of hunters.

[fredhill]

Originally posted by Bowwild:
The bowyers at Bear have a very strong connection to Mr. Bear and his bowyers.  They do know how to make the bows.  However, I imgaine the parent company (Escalade) has something to say about product lines, quality of production, research and development, etc.  

I have two Supremes (TD) and I think they are terrific. I haven't liked any of the 1-pieces since the late 60's.  However, I think the new (green-glass) Super K looks good.  I'll likely by an A riser TD or the Super K in a few months.

I was recently at a meeting of the ATA.  I asked a panel of vendors about the current popularity of traditional archery. I was very disappointed and surprised in their obvioius lack of interest in the subject. They reported that traditional sales continue to be stagnant. I thought "we" were on the upsurge?

I think the archery manufacturors are less than enthused with traditional archery because we don't buy much "stuff" with our bows.  We don't buy sights, release aids, stabilizers, bow handles, straps, any number of countless other gizmos and gadgets. Many of us would rather make our accessories than buy em off the shelf.

The thing I've seen that we do is speak up for our passion to bowhunt more than other groups of hunters.

remember, at the end of the day people at the ATA are in business. you have to sell product to stay in business. i still shoot the Grayling Kodiak Mag my father gave me back in '82. since he can't shoot trad bows anymore i now have his Grayling Super Kodiak. the two guys i hunt with that use trad bows are shooting Black Widows from the '80's. i can see why they say sales are stagnent. wheel bows get faster, more quiet, more shock free every few years causing the shooter to constantly feel the real or imagined need to upgrade. why would i buy a new bow? Trad bows don't become obsolete, they are good virtually forever.

[steadman]

I did some design work and sent it to Bear Archery. I got a call from the Marketing Director, in the insueing discussion, he told me that Bear was going to get back into the trad part of archery and was making a push towards it this year. We shall see.

[Night Wing]

Originally posted by kill shot:
I would like to see a new 1964 bear polar. Mine was 66", 45#. That thing shot like it had eyes. It was smooth to draw and a joy to shoot when the temp was in the single digits.

In a one piece bow, Bear just won't build a bow over 60" in length. When I heard Bear was coming out with a revamped line, I was hoping for a 64" Super Kodiak, but alas, no joy.      :(

I also would have liked to have seen the 66" Polar return.