Trad Gang

I've shot parabolic shaped fletching, shields and bananas but none of them have 100% satisfied me. That is, until I made a not-so-recent discover.

Many years ago I was vacationing in Panama City FL when I received a call from Fred Bear's secretary.  She told me that Fred had been released from the hospital and was anxious to see people and catch up on his work. He wanted to know if I was going to be in his area as I took my kids down to "see THE MOUSE".  Of course we weren't in that part of FL and I hadn't planned on driving over to the Bear plant in Gainesville, but the prospect of having some private time again with Papa Bear was too tempting, so I loaded up the wife and kids and headed several hundred miles over to see him.  When we walked into Fred's office you could see smoke and smell freshly burned feathers coming from his small work area.  Fred had just finshed making an arrow which he planned on giving me as a momento of our visit.  As we looked over his red and yellow "masterpiece" I asked him if the shape he used was a "shield cut".  Fred leaned backwards and laughingly said, "I don't know what you call it, I just know that I like it!!"  

This morning I took a piece of paper and traced one of Fred's feathers. Using it as a guide for shaping a feather burner element, I burned all of my new arrows using Fred's unique "shield" shape. Well, I think I have found a winner . . . don't know what you call it, but I know that I like it!.

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(http://logsdonstudios.com/Fredscut.jpg)

:thumbsup:    :thumbsup:    Great story, thanks for sharing!!

Very Very Cool!!

Thanks for sharing!

Great story, and nice pic of Fred...and yourself.

very neat story! Enjoyed!

OUTSTANDING Gary ! Thanks for sharing   :thumbsup:

Thanks for sharing such a wonderful story. Great looking feathers too by the way.

Very cool........

Thank you for sharing a great story!
GLENN

One terrific story, thanks.

Love hearing stuff about Fred Bear.  Thanks so much for sharing.

QuoteOriginally posted by rdoggsilva:
One terrific story, thanks.

I agree, great story.

Great looking feather and good story.

The little girl you can barely see in the lower left hand corner of our picture is my oldest daughter.  She turns 30 years old this year.  The "picture" of us is actually a still stolen from a home movie my wife shot in Fred's office.  Fred had me hold my daughter nose level to a Grizzly neck mount so he could tell her about the night he shot it and how it couldn't be retrieved until the next morning.  There were multiple bears hanging around the downed bear's body that preceded to eat Fred's trophy to the point where all he had left was enough hide for a neck mount!  Fred loved kids.

That was a great story and what a treasure to have such a personal gift from Fred Bear and that he was your friend. A neat memory for sure! Thanks for sharing that with us.

That is a cool story Gary. I like his I just like it thought as well.

Very nice Gary,thanks for sharing.

Cool.Thanks for sharing with us!!

fanatastic story !

Wow great story Gary.

That's great, thanks.

Great story Gary, thanks for sharing with us.

Fred was one of a kind and is greatly missed by those of us who have personal recollection of what he was like.  The momentos I have from our time together are priceless.  He would send me messages typed out on postcards (Fred used an old 30s era typewriter, "hunt and peck" style) letting me know where he was going to be so we could visit.  Mrs Bear (Henrietta) was quite the lady with a beautiful handwriting style.  I still have letters she would send me asking about old art pieces or photographs she came across.  She was very interested in antiques.  Fred's word and handshake meant something . . . we need more of that these days.

ttt so others can see . . .

That's cool Gary!

The fletch looks like a "hybrid" of a parabolic and shield...

Very nice story.  Thanks for sharing.  I'd call your fletching the Bear Parashield.

Best of luck.

Lot of people I know want and use that style of fletching.  The rounded back corner makes it quieter, and is what I call as do others, a "HIGH BACK SHIELD"  cut.  They work great.

great story and nice 'modified shield' shape fletches.

i like a fat, high back, full helical, sorta-kinda-shield shape, too.

good to be in the company of papa bear.   :thumbsup:

Thanks for sharing. Awesome story!

I'm burning all of my current fletching this way.  They're going into a new Kanati quiver I picked up at Kalamazoo that will be attached to my new Tall Tines recurve . . . that is if I ever receive it. . . consider that a HINT Brian;^)  I plan on posting a photo of the full "Bear-Tines" rig when it comes together.  Gotta love this stuff . . . I'm like a kid on Christmas Eve.

Gary,
 Thanks for sharing a piece of your memories of a great man. I always wished I could have known him. With stories like this we do just a little better.

Thanks Robert.  Fred was a wonderful man, humble, with a great sense of humor and willing to laugh at himself.  I originally met him in Alabama when I was attending the Fred Bear Bowhunting School at Westervelt Lodge.  He was there to film a seqment with Glen Lau (Sports Afield)- if memory serves, along with Hugh Blackburn of Bear Archery.  Fred and Hugh served as our guest instructors.  Both men spun tales of their work on the film Deliverance.  

We kept in touch over the years and had some great visits. I was honored twice when asked to present several awards of recognition to Fred. One from my state bowhunting organization. Fred told me many hunting stories )including a few yarns,)and in more serious moments would relate his fears of where the "archery industry" was headed.

The last time I saw Fred was the day he burned the arrow in the photo.  My wife and oldest daughter was with me and filmed a lot of the visit, including Fred spinning one of his famous Alaskan hunting yarns about himself and Bob Munger, who I also knew.  

People ask "What impressed you the most about Fred Bear?"   I always say, "Everytime I was with Fred or watched him interact with a new admirer - he was always the same; Fred had a way of making each person he met feel important . . . he would seem more interested in how their last hunt had gone than telling them about his latest adventure."  

I think that says a lot about the man, considering many of the hunting "celebrities" of our time, it says a TON.  As a kid, Fred was a bit of a hero to me, so my expectations were pretty darn high when I first met him.  Guys, he surpassed my expectations whenever I realized what a truly nice fellow he was.

Thanks, enjoyed the stories and seeing the fletch design.

Keep it coming Gary, this is great!   :campfire:

Several of you have asked about obtaining a drawing of "Fred's Feather Shape" so you can burn them yourself.  I came up with this outline drawing of Fred's fletching.  Save the image to your computer and print it out at 100%  If done correctly the shape will print exactly 5" long. With a little luck, and a steady hand, you can shape your own burner ribbon/element and be burning your own version of Fred Bear's arrows in no time. A nice tribute to Papa Bear not to mention a very good looking and functional fletch. Good luck!

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(http://logsdonstudios.com/Fredsfletchingburn.jpg)

thanks for sharing

Thank you Gary, I really appreciate your time to share this story and feather shape.    :thumbsup:

thank you for a very Interesting story man that is way Cool!  :clapper:    :clapper:

Thanks for sharing.

this post is the exact reason that i frequent this site.

:archer2:

cool story,thanks for sharing

Nice story and photo.  I'd love to have 10% of Fred Bears hunting adventures.

Thanks for the feather drawing, printed it out...now I need a burner.

Gary what a great thread, I am sure it will be quite a moment when you use and shoot a deer or some game with these new arrows you made. Fred Bears spirit is still with us.

great story. you are a blessed man.......

You're right Blaine, I have been blessed in many ways. Like many my initial introduction into bowhunting was by way of an old Bear Grizzly recurve bought in the 60s.  In the late 70s I was briefly caught up in the "compound craze" which was fun for a while, but lacked something that at the time I couldn't quite put my finger on.  My re-initiation into "traditional bowhunting" came when I first met Byron Ferguson who built me a longbow and demonstrated how much fun I'd been missing by not seeing my arrow in flight, not to mention that feeling of accomplishment when you hit your mark by way of brain and muscle, etc.  The work I do in the bowhunting world, art and Webwork, has allowed me to meet some interesting people. Gene and Barry Wensel, Byron Ferguson, and one of our unsung, great woodsman - Jerry Simmons, are among my good friends and hunting companions. The Mitten brothers are also included among my group of bowhunting buddies.  You won't find better folks to share a camp with. Finally, I've met nothing but good people through this website, all willing to share their passion with others on the site, newcomers and "old timers" like myself alike.

The style of feather is very close to the old Ben Pearson style.  I did save that and will try it.  Thanks.

I think it is, and of course Fred, like many of us today, shot variations of the basic shield shape over the years.  The one in the photo happens to be an example of what he was shooting in the 70s and early 80s.  I've seen his quiver filled with arrows featuring red and yellow fletchings of this particular shape during that time period. Needless to say, if you want to shoot a feather shaped exactly like one Fred used, then this is at least ONE example that's truly authentic.  I was there when he burned it, handed it to me, and talked about why he liked it . . . and it's all captured on an old VHS video tape.  All I did was trace the feathers from that arrow.

Thanks for sharing! Very nice of you to share!

Cool story, thanks.

If you could somehow convert that VHS to digital that would be nice. And post it for history buffs and Bear enthusiasts to enjoy.

To have known Fred Bear is a unique treasure indeed.

Thanks for posting.

gary, how tall is the high point on that papa bear feather shape?

I do need to get it converted Charles, maybe to DVD before the tape wears out.  The tape is so old that the picture tries to roll now and then but I have 90% ot it still intact.  I had Fred spin a yarn while my wife had the camera on.  He told a story on his old hunting buddy Bob Munger that I'd heard a dozen times, in fact, Fred secretly told me where the story really came from and how he had - shall-we-say "modified it" over the years.:^)

Not sure Rob, I've never measured it, but if you print out the graphic I posted earlier at 100% it will print actual size. It's a 5" feather.  I'll try to check on the height.

Thanks for sharing what so many of us would love to have experienced.

Each and every person that I have met that has a personal Fred Bear story always say the same sort of thing: his wonderful kindness and making everyone around feel important.

Thanks again for sharing the story Gary.

QuoteOriginally posted by Gary Logsdon:
Not sure Rob, I've never measured it, but if you print out the graphic I posted earlier at 100% it will print actual size. It's a 5" feather.  I'll try to check on the height.

yer drawing measures 11/16" at the high point, and that includes the thickness of the drawn lines.

ok, so - does this include the quill base or is this just the barbs?  :)

Yes Rob, that includes the quill base.  I just measured the fletching I burned as well as Fred's original and both measure a FULL 5/8" at the high point, which includes the quill base. I say "full" because the high point is actually about 1/32" above 5/8", so technically it's 21/32".  I'd just go with a FULL 5/8" for simplicity's sake:^)

QuoteOriginally posted by Gary Logsdon:
Yes Rob, that includes the quill base.  I just measured the fletching I burned as well as Fred's original and both measure a FULL 5/8" at the high point, which includes the quill base. I say "full" because the high point is actually about 1/32" above 5/8", so technically it's 21/32".  I'd just go with a FULL 5/8" for simplicity's sake:^)

excellent, thanx gary - now i've got MY feather shape baseline   ;)

UPDATE:  I emailed Johnathan Karch at 3Rivers Archery and suggested that they consider offering a feather chopper in the shape I've created as a tribute to Fred Bear.  Anyone reading this thread has seen the photo of Fred holding the arrow that he gave me. My design is based upon an accurate tracing of the actual feathers. I heard from Johnathan today and they are talking about the possibility doing the chopper.  Keep your fingers crossed.

FYI: I did not ask for anything in return for my idea or the use of my drawing. It's great shape and would be a nice connection for guys to have with Fred . . . a tribute carried in their quivers:^)

:notworthy:

Gary, your photos reminded me just how quickly time passes... thank you for sharing them and the story.

I just completed a set of new arrows.  Each arrow is completely composed of materials bought from Tradgang sponsors.  Axis shafts from Kustom King, Fred Bear feathers burned with a burner from 3Rivers Archery, plus custom arrow wraps of my design produced by OneStringer.  The completed arrows are now in my Art Vincent Stalker and Kanati bow quiver.  Finally, the new arrows are matched to my new Tall Tines Recurve.  Are there any items that can't be found on this website?  HA!

Let's see those arrows Gary?

No photos yet, but I will post some tomorrow.

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Here they are combined with my new Tall Tines.

(http://logsdonstudios.com/BOW.jpg)

bumpin' ttt

I love looking at the woods in that bow Gary!!!!

Wow great story, any word from 3 rivers on the new chopper?

Johnathan from 3ivers posted a chopper update on a different thread.  For those of you who can't wait and would like to have your own chopper made there is a downloadable drawing I posted on this thread.  I actually burned all of my arrows as that's how Fred did the arrows that he gave me.  I simply formed a burner ribbon to precisely match the shape of Fred's feather.

Wow cool!

Great story Gary and some fine memories you have as well.

That is a sweet story. I've been wondering about fletch shapes a bit, being newer to trad shooting, 1.5 yrs now. I bet Fred thought a lot about it! Thanks for sharing that story.