Fred Bear: The History of the Bow and Arrow | Bear Archery 

Thanks, Bear Archery.

Whenever this man speaks. I am like a starry-eyed child locked on to each word from his favorite Uncle.

Great Man and he had a great life! I started watching him on tv in the early sixties and was hooked! I am 74 and still shoot my long bow almost every day and i snap shoot just like he was talking about but i shoot right handed. This was a very cool video and loved it! Thank you so much! S.D. 😁

Master Bear is not only a master of Archery. He's a master of life. I truly enjoyed this video. Such a humble and ego less soul. He is what all hunters should strive to be. I can see why he's so well respected by so many people. I know why Rocker Ted Nugent wrote a song about him. RIP Fred Bear!

The world needs more people like this

I still have the Fred Bear bow I bought over fifty years ago. Works the same as it did then. Outstanding quality.

When I was younger, I was an enthusiast. I used yew and oak long bows, fiberglass recurves and finally a compound. I loved them but was never truly adept at their use. I was surprised to find the Fred Bear was not just an outdoorsman but also an seriously competent technician and marketing manager

This man was simply incredible,so humble ,honest, and hard working. What a great American and what a great human being he was we must lead our children and further generations with this kind of example.

Man, you can just feel the integrity from Fred. Makes me more inclined to get myself a Bear product.

I have a 1964 Bear Recurve and have shot many deer, rabbits, pheasants, gophers, badgers and even skunks. My bow still looks and shoots just as well as the day I ought it. The rosewood riser is absolutely beautiful. Thank you for making such a wonderful bow.

Wow! That was inspiring. I bought a new (to me) Bear Grizzly #45 this week and have been getting to know the bow and I already love it. I thought it was also important to understand more about the man that designed it as well. I feel like I'm picking up a piece of history. So much to learn and that's exciting!

The modern "Bowfather". A true american legend.

I was honored to have Mr Bear work with me and help make my first arrows back in the day....the 70"s....and then we walked around as he was going to feed some birds.

only shooting Bear from here on out! shout out to THP putting young kids and new hunters onto Bear. they will inevitably learn about Fred and all he has done for the sport

theres an elegance to the way this man spoke and its calming to me

Bear is the first Bow I ever owned and watching this makes it mean a lot more.

Can listen to him over and over again!

Just ordered a bear takedown and had to meet the man behind it. I’m not disappointed. Legend.

Love listening to this guy’s history!

I love the fact that 1) these Fred bear video are on RU-vid 2) this guy new his s#!+ "Aim small, miss small"

My idol, Thank's Fred for all you have done. You set a path for a lot of us to fallow It's the path of the arrow! I am eternally thank full. Every archer in the world should tip there hat to you.

Thanks, this is one of my childhood hero's....

Mr. Fread Bear was the greatest EVER!!! A legend!!! R.I.P. !

I still have my 1953 Kodiak recurve. Killed my first deer with that bow. He is the father of archery. Not a doubt in my mind. I love Fred 🐻

I have hunted all my life. As my father and his father. I LOVED I mean loved.this video....I fell in love with this old man. ..I learned so much. And am overwhelmed by Mr. Bear. Thank you so much

I grew up in his home city of Gainesville! I did not know he was born in 1902 which is amazing that he lived into the 80s actually he died in 88 which was when I was only 10yrs old... all of the folks of my friends parents all knew him. I remember going to the fred bear museum which is no longer possible for tours. This man had so much insight! He past at about the same time I went to your the museum..

What a Great Man. Fred Bear is such an Inspiring Legend.

Man to be able to sit and talk with a man like that would be something special.

God Bless Mr Bear

I'm glad I can listen to his story.

Fred bear was a treasure to US and the world's Archery. I grew up shooting recurves and instinctive shooting. I knew how to aim from experience and was very good at it. Shot recurves for most of my life and in the last 20yrs switched to compounds and crossbows due to physically injuries. I still wish I could the old ways. Faster and just as accurate.

This guy taught my dad how to shoot a bow. I am SOO proud

True legend

One of the best ))))))

im an old trad shooter, i love listening to fred bear speak bows

His hunts on kodiak island were amazing.

Very good video. Rest in Peace Mr. Fred Bear.

I feel like a kid again learning for the 1st time about bows and hunting...

Yes integrity. I could listen to this man talk about anything.

I had the honor to meet Mr Bear when i was 12 in dauphin pa at a neighbors house Mr Klinger and they sat just like this and told there stories i didnt really understand who he really was but i will always remember that day there stories and who i met an icon in my book

my hero since childhood and my first bow.

........I grew up shooting a variety of long bows and recurves and my mind was slow to accept an ugly new contraption called a compound bow......until a cousin brought one to a family reunion/campout in remote ranch country....It was a Fred Bear Whitetail II and I watched with great interest.....A year or so later I ordered my own Whitetail II when it went on sale for $119 In 1988....44 inches OAL and , I believe 40% letoff...Several years later I fell for the hype and bought a much more expensive single cam compound of another brand which turned out to be a disappointment...To this day, the Whitetail II remains the most accurate, dependable bow I own.....Thank you , Fred Bear and RIP..........

Ah the grandfather of everything we do. What a legend.

thanks fred

This was so interesting! What a legend!

I encourage anyone to read his Books and share in his stories. Amazing man man he was , and a Left handed Bow Hunter !!

What a great man and what a legend

Bought a BEAR Divergent EKO as my first bow. I love it and Im so glad to be getting into bow hunting.

Love these kinds of stories from the old folk.

👍 Ted Nugent’s song about him is very good too!👍

My father-in-law has a good Fred Bear story. When he was younger, he and his friends were at a hunting expo of some kind, and the biggest grizzly bear Fred killed with his bow was there on display. After reading how it was killed with a bow, my father-in-law said to his friends, " Bullshit! No way he killed this with just his bow. His guide probably put it down with a rifle." Right after saying that, Fred popped out from behind the bear and said, "I most certainly did young man. In fact, I thought my guide was right behind me backing me up with his rifle and after I shot and the bear ran off, I turned around to ask my guide if he thought it was a good shot, but he was up the hill behind a rock about 30 yards away." 😂 He said Fred Bear was such a gentleman and spoke to him for about 15 minutes, swapping hunting stories back and forth. He left there eating crow and wanting to take up archery.

Such humble words, truly authentic.

Great story. Thank you

Legend

Regarding the Daikyu at 1:56 - they may have been made that way in part because of the resonance of the string when it would fire. There is a video that shows the frequency that they vibrate at, and the location of the arrow is exactly at the least disruptive point of the wave. This results in minimal reverberation, making it easier to shoot more often and with more consistency. They basically had vibration dampening built in. Of course, they didn't have tools to actually measure that when they were invented so imagine someone just doing this by feel alone. Pretty remarkable. Now I am going crazy trying to find that video again XD

Have still a70 pounder compound bear bow Shoots good

Interesting. Informative. Awesome Thnxs for uploading and sharing this !!!! 👍🏻🇺🇸💯

Thank you Fred

I miss my 35lbs English long bow and my cross bow but never liked compound bows I would live to try out one of these he showed.

That was fantastic.

Awesome video!

Way cool 😎👍💯🇺🇲

how good this man is that the link from youtube includes the word Bow in it

cool video !

I freakin love this man

I watched a vid once of Fred taking a huge bear with nothin but a recurve bow ,The man had some real brass polished with a life time of skill =)

Ich mag das Video ! ;-)

Legend!

Tim Wells, Slock Master, Relentless Pursuit......F. Bear prodigy

Buying a few old recurve bear bows a kodiak, target bear, and maybe a polar. Might even be buying a box of arrows that have never been used that are bear branded and a bear quiver. I would’ve loved to meet Fred.

Thanks! I’m thinking of getting my first bow.

My first bow, a recurve that I bought in Australia was a Fred Bear. Over 40 years ago LOL.

wow, such a treasure.

Greatest bowhunter Bower of all time true lengend

I struck gold right here! I love this guy! I totally get how his brain works.... I think I was made the same way. Not just about archery... his way of thinking works for just about everything I would think.

Wonderfull

Back when I was in high school i meet him also stayed his sons house to bow hunt

My grandpa was Fred’s friends they have pictures together!

If all the people that have ever existed I would have liked to talk to Jesus and the disciples and then Fred Bear. They all grab my attention when they talk.

I have heard that Fred, though right handed, shot left handed. I always wondered why. If you watch carefully Fred is missing part of a finger on his right hand. I finally know why……

That's back when men were men with that guy

My favorite bow ive had was my BEAR LEGION. It got stolen out of my car. I have 5 little ones so it took allot of saving to get that bow it was worth every penny. Maybe next year i will be able to get the new kuma.

I LIKE MY BEAR 3 PIECE TAKE DOWN RECURVE BOW I HAVE FOR 40 YEARS.

Japan’s long bow’s handle was held lower than other bows. Not Chinese. Korean traditional short recurved bows, which is around 32” & weight is very light. (500BC) Korean recurve bow goes back 2500 years and well known to shoot and hit targets over 200 meters at traditional practice ranges. Made with water Buffalo horns, bull sinu, mulberry, bamboo, Yellow Crocker glue. Also needs 1 year aging to cure wood and fit wood for bracing curves in a bow, which takes about 1 year to finish. Korean Strong bows are known to hit targets well over 300 meters.

I would love to have one of the original model take downs.

Saxton Pope was the Man who jump started the Interest in modern Archery starting around 1911 and into the Teens when the Anthropologist Kroeber’ took in ISHI the Yahi Indian from the Mount Lassen foothills. The American Indians made amazing Wide limbed Bows backed with sinew. Pope was immensely interested and learned from ISHI. Archery then became the rage in the 1920’s and 30s and the Boy Scouts adopted Archery. Fred Bear and Ben Pearson’ and few others took it from there 🇺🇸

Man, his guy has in every pore america. Or what I felt as american culture, feel, way of life growing up here on balkans reading Zane Greys ad similar westerns

Been there done that got my first buck in 1973

Love my antique 45# recurve Bear bow. The impact power at distance is incredible. I wouldn’t trade it for a 2500 dollar Olympic bow. I can stuff a 30” carbon up a squirrels ass at 40yrds all day long. Squirrel kabobs! Ive shot in 11 competitions against every 4-6 wheel, multi-string contraption out there and the Bear has never failed me. I love the look on my competitors faces when my arrow impacts through the target. My super grizzly 55# can put a carbon shaft through a modern day car fender no problem. Go Bear or go home!

Being an Englishman. I have to disagree with his saying that there was very little yew in Britain. It was considered imperative that all male children should learn archery skills, from a very early age, when children as young as 13 years old, could be conscripted and expected to fight. Bow making therefore was widespread throughout England, where yew was plentiful.

It is sad to see Bear archery's quality slip from the levels this legend maintained.

There's not too many of us left.

I wonder if Fred Bear hunted with Howard Hill .

Wish he was still here. ☹️

My grandpa guided fred for some hunts record stone sheep cariboo grizz an grandp had freds bow that killed the ram for years

My son killed his first deer at 5yrs old it was a doe he wanted to have it mounted I’ve always felt so bad about telling him we don’t mount does they’re not a trophy but it was a trophy to him wish I could redo that one

Is he Ishi’s friend, Fred bear?

Isn't the composite bow like 5000 years old instead of 500? Thought the Assyrians in 3000BC used em too already.

Todays archers worry about shooting past 20 Fred bear takes deer running at 60 🤣 mans a legend rest well Fred bear

A friend of mine who towt me to hunt we had permission to cut fire wood out of the slash piles and Ralf Rains who owned the property wood tell Dick Pugh if he had cut any yew wood and where we could find it . A year before Dick past away I asked him if he might have some yew I cood get to make a bow ! He