I posted my initial impressions on another site, and I will post them here as well:

"Bear Archery is a joke if they say they are re-committed to even entering the traditional market. The representatives seemed almost insulted to have to be there. They really are NOT interested in hearing anything about what WE want, and one of them flat out told me "we are not custom bowyers". So far, in my opinion, their "committment" is not only a joke, it is a blatent slap in the face and an outright insult to our chosen hobby."

"I'll admit, when I saw the green glass on one, the red riser on one, and the red stripe in the takedown, I got pretty excited.

UNTIL I picked one up.

I almost flat out dropped it. What a piece of dung.

At this point....NO CLUE what we want.

And when I tried to express my thoughts....a blank stare right through me.

They have blown the "first impression" with me, and I don't think making improvements on that "first impression" are even a passing thought.

VERY DISAPPOINTED. "


They need to hire a person from our ranks and basically give them "Carte Blanche" to take the division where it needs to be.

Having an on site consultant from our ranks ( a few come to mind) with some legitimate design authority could rocket them to the head of the pack, but there is no way they would even listen to such a suggestion.

They were truly out of their league at Denton Hill. Outclassed by every booth there not only in product, but in personnel, customer service, attention to detail, interest in improving their product, and a general knowledge of the genre.

Fred would have either fired or not hired all of them in my opinion.

In the original post of this thread, the word "vomit" was used. Very appropriate if you ask me.

Also, tons of people who were not there have asked to see pictures in several threads on the web. My suggestion is to be very cautious about posting them if you have them. It is quite likely they may sue you in court for copyright violations for even posting a picture without THEIR authorization. They made this very clear to some folks trying to help them and suggest a few things.

Man OH man' This is very very disappointing, here I am a huge fan of Bear Bows and to here that the company reps reacted like they did is not very encouraging for the so called new Bows coming out. I will however keep my hopes up that they pull there heads out and respond to the demands of the people of the sport/industry instead of focusing on the almighty dollar. In the meantime I will continue to expand my collection of the existing bows that are out there.BTW: Who is Escalade? are they an AMERICAN COMPANY  or are they FOREIGN OWNED?

Well, I don't really understand this. I was in their booth several times. I heard them ask many people including Jim Belcher of Belcher bows for their opinions of what they needed to do to get the bows back to the design and quality people want.
The attitude I saw was one of people truly listening to their customers. I expressed several suggestions and they listened and did not counter with any negative attitude.
I am enthused to see what they come up with in the coming months.
After years of them never showing up at any event, and not paying any attention to even their dealers, this may be the first step to a comeback. I think we should give them a chance, see what they do.
As I stood their listening to the customers, some said they wanted a low grip, some wanted a high grip, some wanted a narrow grip, some wanted a wide grip, some wanted this type of wood used, some wanted another type. From their perspective they were being told so many different and contradicting points they could not possibly comply with everyones desires.
If they listened to what was being said, and they react to even some of it, it will be an improvement.
Some people see it raining and worry about a flood, some see the rain and think it will help their crops.
I see what Bear is doing as a positive first step.

Ok they may be honest in wanting to deliver a quality product, but in this economy why would any of us drop a few hundred on a company that has forgotten their roots. It's one thing to have someone who has worked for a few years as a true bowyers assistant and then starts his own line. Ok that man has experience but Bear in my opinion does not have the right people to take on this job. It would be a smart choice if they subbed the job out. Keep the Bear name but have an established bowyer make the bows. At the very least you  would prefer to buy a bow knowing it was made the right craftsman way.

I truly wish that I had been a fly on the wall and been able to hear what Belcher told them. Jim delivers a quality product and the Bear folks would do well to listen to him and take back to the Bear factory what he said.

I'm with Cherokee.I think they are doing a very positive thing.The guy's i spoke to at Cloverdale knew about bow's and were looking for feed back from guy's like us.We shouldn't kick folks for trying.They are trying to get back to their root's.So let's give them a chance.I know i will.Thank's ,Jim

Bring the Bears back to Grayling!!!!!  

This saddens me as I really love the old Grayling bows. Sounds like they need to take a break, go through Freds old formulas and try to re-connect with the founding reasons that made Bear Archery what is was.

Hopefully there are a couple reps who are thinking this  judging from a couple comments above.

Someone has pics though, right?

The reps did have some snazzy shirts on, didn't they?

The bows showed promise. They are amongst us for the first time in how many decades? They aren't making them in China. It's a start and shows potential for a Bear reemergence in Trad.

Like said give them a shot to get on their feet, there will be plenty of time to lambaste them down the road if they just stay on the same old tired path they've been on the past few decades.

Very interesting...I've read all the comments and have to admit to being a bit   :confused:  .  Some of you want to throw up while others see promise. I guess if we all liked the same thing it would be pretty boring.  :(

Bear's one up on me...they were there.

The best way to judge is based on action.  It will be very interesting to see what they do with the information gathered.

They will naturally be highly scrutinized no matter what they do, and polarizing...

Maybe they should bring back the 1959 Polar?

QuoteOriginally posted by ceme24:
Maybe they should bring back the 1959 Polar?

I really like the '59 Polar!  :D

still waiting for pics...  

I talked to the Bear reps, at cloverdale and Denton hill, the questions asked were , "what are the trends you see?" "what do you think shooters are looking for from Bear archery?" "How best can we find this infrormation?" "where should we go to see the most traditional shooters?" I believe Bear Archery is looking to get back to where they were when we were all in love with Bear bows...thats not gonna happen over night...it's gotta be a positive ..not a negative ..I had a couple of old Bears in my booth and lots of people came and picked them up to admire and then tell stories of the one they have (or had)..I hope they do well and am looking forward to seeing the future..

Shawn...  

I stopped at the Bear booth and spoke with them at Denton... They seemed like nice guys....BUT.....


I think the thing that has to be relized is that Bear Archery is not run by people with passion for traditional archery.... Now most on here... and I am one...are saddened by that. But the reality is they run a really large buisness with many employees that need to get paid. Fred was well ahead of his time in inovations. Bear archery is, I guess, still trying to do that.

I asked my grandfather many years ago about Bear archery and he told me Fred had alot of opposition due to new techniques he used. Using aluminm arrows... trying different things on risers etc.  I think Fred would want his company to go against the grain to create new designs... Unfortunatly the $$$ side isnt trad gear anymore... Trust me... I wish it was....


We, myself included, wish we could bring back the romance of a Bear bow. The type we all have that own the old Graylings. Knowing that possibly Fred himself pulled yours or my bow off the rack at the plant to check its quality. Those days have past. It is sad but true. Those guys at the booths might hunt but they are buisness men first and hunters second.


Luckily though there are many Bowyers that are creating awsome bows.... People that have that passion.... We all met many of them at Denton....Bear took at step foward going to Denton... As one said... They were outclasses there... They know their time has passed in trad gear.... I think I could speak for many on here when I say; who didnt watch the Fred Bear vid that was playing there?........

We all did.... and it stired in us that feeling of what he did for the sport...

Those guys are not Fred Bear... I dont think they were trying to be either.....

Well said dave19113, bear archery has been for years, and for now still is, about the compound bow.  There 2010 compounds rival anything that Mathews, Hoyt, and certainly Bowtech has to offer.  I know this cause I have shot some of each of those brands last year before I decided to take up traditional archery.  

To expect them to be able to completely redesign all of their wheelie bows last year to be as good if not better than the competition, then to turn around this year and go from where they were in the trad world to being a frontrunner in the recurve and longbow world, is a bit too much to ask of a company.

I think we should give them a year or two to redesign their traditional line and then see.  If nothing changes and their line is still sub-par, then let the flaming torches be lit.  Until then, we can only hope to see them come back to even a resemblance of what Bear Archery was in their hayday.

I hope Bear brings back the older style and better wood for their recurves. The modern Bear Kodiak Mag and Grizzly I saw at Cabelas last month, although not as pretty as the older 60's and 70's models, appear quite rugged and well made. If Bear brings out a fancier wood in the Grizzly, or a modern 59, I'll buy one and shoot the hell out of it and see if it is as good as the originals. I'm guessing Bear still has employees in Florida who take pride in their work and the products they put out. And if not, well, my older Bear bows still have plenty of life left in them and the new one will go on the rack!

Personally, the bow that I recall the most fondly that I can't find these days was the "A Mag" (metal riser TD in A handle). Whenever I find a lefty it is in very poor condition.  When I was a teenager the bow I wanted most was a Super Kodiak (circa 1970) but it cost $100 -- about twice what I scraped together to buy a 56" Grizzly.  These days the best I can do regarding "Bears" is to buy a Bear riser and Brandon Stahl's limbs to up the performance.  For a one-piece I've ordered Brandon's Super Wildcat to satisfy my desire for a "Super Kodiak".  I also think the Pittsley Predator has the nostalgic appeal I'm after with boosted performance and appearance.

I'll be paying attention to Bear to see if they come up with another Bear TD or a very fancy wood Super Kodiak. I've found the fellows at the Gainsville Bear Pro Shop to be extremely friendly and knowledgable. The recurve bowyers have connections to the original bear bowyers.   If you cal the number at Esclade to reach bear, the folks there don't even seem to know what the folks in Gainsville are or can do. Escalade doesn't seem to care whether I buy a bowling ball or a bow.  Their reception people are friendly though.

I thought the rosewood with green limb Kodiak was nice.Alot of people asking questions.I think they are on the right track and I wish them luck.

Roy, Bear has had the Super Kodiak Supreme for a few years now... the one I saw was nice