The legendary Fred Bear and Charles Piper founded the Bear Products Company in 1933 in Detroit, Michigan. The initial focus was on silk-screening and advertising-support work for automotive companies.
In 1938, Fred hired Nels Grumley, a woodworker and bowyer, and the company expanded to offer hand-made bows. Fred sold the advertising sector in 1940, and the archery business became Bear Archery.
“Fred Bear then sold the company to Victor Comptometer in 1968, but remained its president,” Jack Borcherding, Bear Archery’s marketing manager, said. “Fred remained active in designing products and promoting bowhunting until his passing in 1988. Known as the ‘Father of Modern Bowhunting,’ he had innumerable contributions to archery. Our industry will never forget him.”
After a series of mergers, acquisitions and spin-offs that spanned over 30 years, the company became North American Archery Group. In 2003, Escalade Sports acquired the North American Archery Group and currently does business as Bear Archery.
“One of the most popular early-model Bear bows was the ’59 Kodiak traditional bow,” Borcherding recalled. “Consumers asked us to bring back this iconic bow, so we did. It features a large profile, leather rest plate, forgiving arrow rest, supple leather grip and beautiful Bolivian Rosewood. Our traditional line has 12 different bow models ranging from recurves to longbows to hybrids and even a take-down model.
“We offer a wide selection of both high-performance and affordable compound bows, too,” he continued. “Our Legend Series includes eight models, and our main line has 11 models, many of which are equipped with our Trophy Ridge accessories in ready-to-hunt packages, adding incredible value.”
For 2019, Bear launched a lighter, shorter version of the wildly-popular Kuma. The Kuma 30 reaches velocities up to 345 fps, measures 30 inches between the axles and weighs 4.1 pounds. Draw weight ranges are 45 to 60 pounds or 55 to 70 pounds with 75 percent let-off.
Finally, Bear reintroduced its crossbow line in 2018. It currently has three different configurations of the Bear X Saga that include different speeds and scope options. It also has two additional crossbow models and a crossbow pistol.
It’s safe to expect many great innovations from this legendary and longstanding company going forward.
For more information, visit www.beararchery.com.
