I've owned about every bow know to modern man. From Bob Lee's to Silvertips.
I sold my last recurve recently. Kinda misse d it so I called my bro to see if he still had a Bear Kodiak Hunter I gave him a couple years ago. It's a bow I shot quite a bit at one time. He still had it and hadnt shot it at all, so he brought it to me.
Couldnt remember what arroa it liked, but I had a 30in 2018 layin around and screwed a 100gr BH on. It's a 50@28 kodiak.
Dang this thing on the first shot was the prettiest arrow I have shot in two years!
All the rest of the bows I have owned and none shoot an arrow like this one. NONE!
Just made me think...he really knew his stuff.
I'm a Grizzly man myself... Plain working man's hunting bow.
I have a few "custom" bows, and I won't get rid of them. But, REALLY... They don't get used very much!!!
From now, till the day I die... I'll probly never buy another "custom" bow. But, let me come acrossed an old Grizzly...
(you can bet it'll be coming home with me!!!!!)
There's just something special about those Bear recurves.
Old Super Gizz here. Love my old bow would never sell or stop shooting her.
Cheers, own a few Bears and always have. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
My Kodiak Hunter's (68, 69, 70 and 74), all fit the hand like a glove. Of course, to give credit where it is due, Bob Lee should be thanked. Many of the vintage Bear's, Pearson's, Shakespere's, Indian's, Browning's, etc. and many modern bows, are based on, and in some cases almost virtual copies of, his original Red Wing Hunter recurve.
My 18 yr old son agrees, he says he chose a 70's kodiak hunter because it just seemed to speak to him :biglaugh:
I am fairly new to trad shooting. It's comming up on a year sice I started shooting an old Indian Seneca and got hooked. I have shot about 10 different bows now including some very nice customs.
The fastest bow I have is a pretty little 46# '65 Kodeak Magnum. It takes some concentration to get it to shoot acurately but with a well tuned arrow will put it right where I am looking if I do my part.
My new favorite bow to shoot is a '74 45# Grizzly I got from a guy here on Tradgang. It is smooth drawing, accurate and just feels good to shoot.
Trad bows ar really very simple tools that have been used for several millenia. Except for some advances in materials that give you a few more FPS, I don't think the basic design shapes can be significantly improved on.
I have several vintage Bear bows. The youngest is a 1969 Kodiak Hunter 50# and the oldest is a 1956 Polar 46#. There are a few more in between those two.
I shoot them all. But my real favorite is a 1967 Polar 45#. I shoot that one more than any other bow I own.
Bear made some really good bows!
I miss Fred. :(
Mike
I can relate. Just bought a 1965 Kodiak a few weeks back and then this week went ahead and bought a 1962 Kodiak....someone told me that I now had the disease and it only gets worst in regards to collecting Bear bows.
Ron
My '74 Super K is one of my all time favorites.. those old bears are the only 60" recurve I can shoot comfortably with my 30" draw..I feel no stack at all and no finger pinch. I'm gonna hunt with it this season for a day or two..
I guess what I was getting at is I don't have to figget with it. It just plain shoots the best flying arrow with the least amount of tuning.
I seem to tune to death other bows, but this Kodiak just plain shoots the prettiest arrow with the leats amount of effort.
Apparently there is a differance in limb tiller among bows...Fred bear had it going.
Love my 72 super k , it has become my favoite bow . They shoot where your looking , very quiet , and just fun to shoot
I've got a 73 super kodiak and it has one of the best feeling grips that I have ever held. It just fits my hand. I will have a vintage bear takedown before I pass on. Ever since I got into trad archery I have always loved them but the money always had somewhere else it needed to go toward, but someday.....
Just went out and shot my 67' Kodiak Hunter, hard to not take it hunting......In fact I think I will!
I've bought two vintage Bears in the last year. A '66 Kodiak and a '61 Kodiak. I paid around $200 a piece for them. Both are great shooting bows. I have a '69 Super K that I bought about 20 years ago and paid $50 for it but those days are gone. With the price of new "custom" bows I believe that these vintage Bears are the greatest value in archery. Get one and take it out and hunt with it. I do with mine. The vintage Bears are all I hunt with anymore.
Ross
I've bought two vintage Bears in the last year. A '66 Kodiak and a '61 Kodiak. I paid around $200 a piece for them. Both are great shooting bows. I have a '69 Super K that I bought about 20 years ago and paid $50 for it but those days are gone. With the price of new "custom" bows I believe that these vintage Bears are the greatest value in archery. Get one and take it out and hunt with it. I do with mine. The vintage Bears are all I hunt with anymore.
Ross
I agree, those Bear recurves are sure hard to beat.
What do you guys think of the new Bear Bows? Are they as good as the older models? Are they better then the older models? Hope that this is not too much off topic.
The new 64" super kodiak is speaking to me. I think I might need one instead of a custom bow.
I really enjoy my short 48 inch Bear supermags, I hunt with a short twotracks ambush & have learned to be pretty accurate with a short bow, I will admit I keep looking at them Grayling Bear bows to take out, there's magic in them bows !
Dan
QuoteOriginally posted by Gregg S:
What do you guys think of the new Bear Bows? Are they as good as the older models? Are they better then the older models? Hope that this is not too much off topic.
Honestly, you can buy at least two vintage Bears for the price of one new one. The old Grayling Bears rule.
Sometimes something just clicks. For me it was a Rocky Mountain Recurve. Sure did love that bow but it was stolen from me several years ago now. Glad you found one that works for you and hope you enjoy it for a long time.