I met and talked with Fred Bear at an archery function when I was 14 years old. That was way back in 1964. I picked his brain, off and on, for 3 hours. Fred Bear was a very gracious man and answered each and every question I asked of him.
Two years later, when I was 16, I took my first deer, a doe, with a Wing target bow pulling 36# at my draw length. The aluminum arrow was tipped with a Bear Razorhead and it was a complete pass through on a broadside lung shot at 15 yards.
BTW, my first real hunting production made recurve bow was a one piece, 60", 40# @ 28" Bear Super Kodiak.