It was in the late 50s or into the 60s when Fred Bear and his "Big Alaskan Bear" came to Pittsburgh, PA. Kaufmans Dept. Store had a sporting goods department annex that only had an under 10' ceiling, so the Big Bear" had to be displayed out in the adjoining room with an 18' ceiling. I remember walking past that bear in it's reared-up pose. Even "stuffed" it sent chills through me knowing that one man got close enough to shot it with a recurve bow. I had come to meet that man and see that bear. Things were slow in the sporting goods department that day and Fred Bear spent a good part of two hours with this then young boy who was dreaming of escaping the city he was growing up in to go to the Wilderness with his own recurve bow some day.
I remember a kind man who encouraged me to keep shooting the right way. He personally picked out a dozen of his Bear Arrows and said these will work a lot better than the Heinz 57 varieties of arrows that I already had. I still have four of those original Fred Bear arrows. I was so impressed wit this rather laid-back man and hs ability to help me with pointers in how to better shoot. As I got older, the Bear Cub Bow gave way to a Kodiak and along the way a Tamerlane was added to the collection. At age 65 I am moving away from the compound bow and picking up that old Tamerlane target bow again. Many Pennsylvania deer and an elk later (A horse pack-in & camp out of Gunnison, Co), I still stand on the line at the Harrisburg Archery Club and remember Fred walking me though those pointers in how to shot a recurve bow.
Ed Rech
Topic: Remembering The Bear...... (Read 1237 times)
