Collecting Bows, Why Bear?

[Blackhawk]

Good question Chuck.

According to my wife,  "If you have more than one bow, you're a collector...people only need one bow".

Women are way too practical most of the time, so it's a good thing they understand men.

[TRAP]

Chuck, the answer is 3 I think.

In practical terms you have a Shooter, a backup bow, and everything else is a collection.

Trap

[Chuck_Delsandro]

Blackhawk according to your wife I am a collector! Trap you need to take that picture off your avatar! It makes me light headed!

[TRAP]

[PAPALAPIN]

It's those feather rests that make you woozey

[AALLFAB]

Many bow lovers collect Bear bows just because they can. There are so many of them anyone can get in on the fun. Jim

[jrbows]

Not so much a bear collector as an archery collector,not even much of an archery collector more of a scrounger, I buy the wooden arrows and old bows at yard sales, auctions and flea markets when I see them, quivers too usually,if it happens to be a bear product mores' the better.That being said,I think we as a community owe a lot if not most of the freedom,enjoyment we get and adventerous ideas we have to Fred the man who had the spirit and guts to make his passion his business.That's why I'll always own a hunting weight bear bow that's why I'll shoot bear arrows and razor-heads out of it,and that's why I'm looking for a bear back quiver now,I'm not an exclusive bear collector but I do feel Mr.Bear is owed a lot,and it may sound corny but I feel I do him some honor using his equipment for it's intended purpose.They're cool and shoot good too.

[BobT]

I like Bears because my first store bought bow was a "Red Bear". There are also plenty of accessories still around to go with the bows. When I started my tiny collection it was with an idea of duplicating the 1958 Bear catalog in my "man room", then I find out there were at least 2 1958 catalogs and one of them had 2 variations. Who knows where it will end, there is just so much stuff with so many variations.    

Originally posted by Tradgal:

He is looking for a 1958-62 inch Bear Kodiak if anyone has one.......for a deal.

1958 Kodiaks were only listed in 3 lengths, 56", 60" and 64" no 62" model as far as I know.

[myshootinstinks]

I think there is a lot of influence from us "baby-boomers".  As a kid in the '60s the higher end Bears were what most of us wanted to own but few of us could afford.

[Big Bird]

I didn't start out collecting. buy one see another one could not live with out.and now up to 23 recurves.all bears but 5 shakespeare necedah's love them to.

[Jack Shanks]

Must be some kind of sickness that is going around. I bought five so far this week and this week isn't quite over yet.

[450 marlin]

Did you see the wood on that Kodiak Magnum just listed,,,that is why collectors are drawn to Fred's bows

[Frank V]

I like them because they were one of the better bows that people were using in the early 60s when I started shooting a bow.
Frank

[reddogge]

I think there is a lot of influence from us "baby-boomers". As a kid in the '60s the higher end Bears were what most of us wanted to own but few of us could afford.  

You got that one correct.  My first hunting bow was a '67 Grizzly for that exact same reason.  I envied my friend who actually owned a Kodiak back then.

[TonyW]

Looking back at my thoughts 6 years ago, and then looking at the '59 Grizzly hanging in my son's room. He was 12, the Griz was already 49 back then. A lot of arrows bit the dust, but the bow is going strong at 55.

Why collect Bear bows?

[Ray Lyon]

Nostalgia is one reason.

Probably the other is what has been written about collecting Bear bows and how to identify Bear bows makes it appealing to the 'common' folk. I don't recall ever seeing an article about collecting and identifying Brownings, Black Widows, ect.  It has nothing to do with the quality of those others, just the marketing, both past and current. Look at the posts here alone on Tradgang about 'what year is this Bear bow?'.  That kind of secondary marketing drives the interest.  

Fred Bear's personality and persona is probably the final big factor.  He was probably the most recognized personality and that translates to his bows.

[Babbling Bob]

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.

[TonyW]

[Shane Reed]

Great post Tony!

[Phil Magistro]

I used to have that underwear.  Wonder what a set would go for today?