Young man looking for info regarding bear archery.

frassettor · September 01, 2015, 05:37:00 PM

I have a young man at work that is looking to try his hand at traditional archery.
I mentioned that maybe he would like to start with a bear bow. My impression is that he is interested in trying a recurve.
I'm looking for some info regarding bear archery .' I'm not to familiar with the "quality " of their new bows, who owns them now , ect Any help would be appreciated

Whip · September 01, 2015, 06:03:00 PM

I haven't had any personal experience with the newer version of Bear products but have heard nothing but good of them. And of course, the vintage Bears are highly regarded and would be a great way for a young man to get his feet wet without investing a lot of money. There are always some great looking old Bears available in the classifieds.

woodchucker · September 01, 2015, 06:10:00 PM

Some may disagree, but I think Bear makes the best "production" bows on the market!!! I have a small collection of old Grayling Bears, plus my new 2014 Kodiak T/D that I have wanted for over 40 years. My son Tyler also has a Montana longbow, which is probly IMHO the best production longbow on the market today!!! You / He, could make worst choices... Any current Bear bow, will probly last him a lifetime!!!!! OMMV

smokin joe · September 01, 2015, 06:28:00 PM

I agree with Woodchucker.

DennyK · September 01, 2015, 06:42:00 PM

Big Jim's would be a good choice to start with, if there were inherent problems with the Bear bows I'm sure Big Jim would not be selling them. Good luck with your apprentice!

Denny

frassettor · September 02, 2015, 05:19:00 AM

Thanks guys.

kevsuperg · September 02, 2015, 07:30:00 AM

Second big Jim's, he'll set the young man straight.
I have a bear Montana longbow, super grizzly, bearcat and Alaskan recurves.
Quality bows all of them .

Sam McMichael · September 02, 2015, 08:57:00 AM

I am not a shooter of Bear bows on a large scale, as I only have three of them. However, I know lots of people who like them and shoot them very well. They are good bows, old or new.

I also second the idea of contacting Big Jim. He will make this fellow a fair deal and will help him select a bow that will best suit his needs.

Be sure this friend is warned about the addictive attraction trad archery can cause.

dbd870 · September 02, 2015, 09:06:00 AM

I think the Grizzly makes a fine one to start with - new or used unless he has a very long draw.

stagetek · September 02, 2015, 09:16:00 AM

I'd start with a used one. Not too short, and not much more than 40#.

Medic85 · September 02, 2015, 09:51:00 AM

I bought a new KMag last year and had an issue with the tiller. I put in a call to Bear and had a new bow at my door in three days. Love the new KMag and I have a longer draw.

mangonboat · September 02, 2015, 10:54:00 AM

There is a lot of good info out there, a lot of it on the web, about the key players, the bows, the materials, the marketing, the Fred Bear hunting movies, the labor problems, the move to Florida, the multiple mergers and buyouts, etc. But they've made a heck of a lot of bows in every price range and its clearly the flagship of American bowmakers. For a person just starting out, I would urge him to consider a used bow...less of an investment and so many different styles to try, many of which they no longer make. For less than $150 you can pick up an excellent vintage bow. I would start with a longer bow Polar,e.g. in the 35-40# range that is ideal for developing good form. Dont skimp on properly matched arrows for his bow, and draw length.

finkm1 · September 02, 2015, 05:30:00 PM

I would get on the classifieds and look for a Bear Grizzly,K-mag or a Kodiak Hunter, Grayling made. All very good bows. Should be able to pick one up for under $200.00.

tomsm44 · September 03, 2015, 09:43:00 PM

Just my opinion, and I'll probably make some people mad with this, but I think he'd be better off getting a vintage used bow that's not a Bear. The Bears were and still are good bows, but I think the collector value has been driven higher more by the legacy of Fred Bear the man than by the bows themselves. There were several companies making bows back in the day that were every bit as good as the Bears, but that are cheaper on the used market now because there not as collectable. The Red Wing Hunter by Wing Archery and the Ben Pearson Hunter are both outstanding bows from the 60s that are very similar to the Grizzly in design and performance and can sometimes be $50-$100 cheaper. Shakespeare, Browning, And Herters are a couple more that made good bows that can be found for pretty good prices now on the used market.

mangonboat · September 04, 2015, 09:52:00 PM

I dont disagree with Matt. You can almost always get as good or better used bow for less money if you're willing to get something other than a Bear, Not that "anythimng but a Bear" is a good approach. Simply be willing to learn about and shoot other bows.

Archie · September 04, 2015, 10:04:00 PM

I also would agree that some Bear bows fetch a higher price due to the name on the bow rather than their superiority over the competition.

warpedarrow · September 04, 2015, 10:14:00 PM

Even though I collect Bear bows, I have to agree that there are some fine other than Bear bows out there. I suggest a Howatt Hunter or even perhaps a Martin X200. The Martin is a really good bow for the money, perhaps a hundred to one hundred twenty five dollars in todays market. It is my everyday go to bow, it is comfortable to shoot with little hand shock and it is quiet. If this one breaks, I will probably buy another.

ANick · September 04, 2015, 10:35:00 PM

Is this young gent transitioning up from compound bows or would this be his first bow or archery experience? The usual suggestions to start light apply in either case to learn form and build up the body.

I picked up a Bear Montana #45 lb to 'restart' archery after a couple of decades of hiatus. I didn't have any desire left to go the route of compound, but hadn't shot trad since I was a wee snot. In retrospect, I could have gone 5-10 lbs lighter, but the #45 was available... c'est le vie. As it is, the Montana is a little sweetheart to shoot for long sessions for me, so I'm not too far off.

I did read some reviews on the Montana from some years back that had some grumbles about them, 2010-ish (??), but nothing recent sticks in the head. It is a R/D longbow rather than a recurve, but I don't think I'd toss it out of contention for that. If I had a 30-35 lb version I'd keep it forever as a 'guest' bow.

Gotta kinda agree with Matt also, there *are* other credible makes of bows that will fill the bill. That said, as many Bears as are out in the used or new markets they make a fine baseline to compare against.

As ever, your mileage may vary. But, good luck to the lad and good going to you for the mentoring!

Nick

tomsm44 · September 05, 2015, 08:37:00 AM

Glad to see that even the Bear collectors didn't take offense to my statement. And to show that I'm not just trying to be anti Bear, here's my bow rack. The two specific models I mentioned before; Red Wing Hunter (top) and Ben Pearson Hunter (middle), both mid '60s, plus my '69 Bear Super K. If the young man in question comes across a nice vintage Bear for a price he's comfortable with, it will definitely be a good bow. By the way, the middle one is 42# and would be a great bow/weight combination to start with. As others mentioned, I wouldn't go much higher than that for his first. And that's coming from a 31 yr old that's 6'1" and 235#. I hunt with a 47# longbow and the top bow in the pic, at 53#, is the most I care to shoot.

woodchucker · September 05, 2015, 03:49:00 PM

I also have to agree with Matt!!! However... If the young man was looking for a bow NOW, he'd probly be better off buying a new Bear, in the appropriate weight.(35#-45#) Depending on whether he wanted a recurve or longbow, either a Grizzly or Montana wold serve him well!!! ALSO, it would be half the price of the "latest&greatest" compound they would try to sell him... Just one Old Fart's Oppinion