My ole Bear Grizzly

[Dee]

Over 20 years ago I reluctantly let my stepson have a really nice Bear recurve bow. A 45 pounder. As I figured would happen, he left it laying some where when he moved, or was evicted from where ever he might have been at the time.
About 7 or 8 years ago I was looking for another and my oldest son found one in a pawn shop in Texarkana Texas for $20.00. It is a Bear  glass powered Grizzly also in 45 # pull and a 58" string. It was an immediate fit. It has really nice wood, and shoots true, and is in excellent condition.
However, after shooting it once or twice I put it on the wall in my cave, and it has hung there for about 7 or eight years.
I have been getting the itch over the last few months and today I strung it, and got the targets out. I am an instinctive shooter, and don't hold on the target but an instant, and have shot this way for over 50 years. After this long lay off, I was very surprised indeed to find that I could still hit is an 8" circle at about 15 yards. I think I will be sneaking in the woods for feral hogs as soon as it dries up a little. It really felt good, and I can still pull the bow at 60 yoa.
Any body else still shoot this type of bow?

[stubshaft]

I shoot alot of traditional recurves and longbows.  One of my favorites was an old Bear Super Kodiak 52#@29" I finally gave it to my nephew.  Nowadays I either hunt with my Groves Spitfire recurve 58#@29" or Heritage longbow 65#@29".  Yes I shoot instinctive too.  It doesn't take much relearning to get back into the groove.

[Dee]

No it doesn't. I got my first bow in about 1956. It was a wooden re curve and must have been about a 25 pound pull. I remember you had better unstring it when you put it up, or it would take a set. I hunted with that until in about 1962 or 63, I got a solid fiberglass bow in 35 pound pull made by Colt the firearms company. I still have that bow, and my oldest boy learned to shoot with that bow. All arrows back then were cedar, and I never had a lesson on shooting. I just shot the bows until I figured it out.
I suppose it never occurred to me to look down the arrow, or any such methods. I just learned to look where I wanted the arrow to go, and it did. If I tried to aim, I missed.

[Graybeard]

I shoot stick bows like Dee does purely looking at where I want the arrow to go and being more or less unaware of the bow or arrow in the process. I've not shot in many years but generally even after lay offs I shoot about the same meaning I can hit a paper plate to about 20 or 25 yards most every time. Practice doesn't seem to improve that very much really.

I used to make my own bows from privet hedge and they worked fine for me in the days of my youth. For my 12th birthday (March  '57) I took the bus to town and bought a Ben Pearson solid fiberglass recurve bow 35# rated with money I had saved up. I bought arrows with what money I had left and had to walk the roughly five miles or so back home with my new bow. As said all arrows then were cedar tho later fiberglass became popular. I used only cedar in those days.

I do still have that old bow but it hasn't been shot in 25-30 years or so I suspect.

[lakota]

I bought an old Grizz over the summer. 50# pull brown glass on the limbs and nice wood on the riser. 58" string like yours. It's my first recurve. I love it. It didnt take a lot of practice to start making consistent hits in the kill zone of my 3D target at 20 yards.  I am going to buy my deer tag this morning and I might head out this afternoon and I think that I will be taking Grizz with me.

My buddy bought a new Grizzly over the summer-they just arent as nice as the older ones. His had black glass on the limbs and a Laminated Hardwood riser they also have 56" strings on them. He recently traded it for an older Super Kodiak

[theoldarcher]

I have Bears from the '60s and '70s, and shoot them all.  I have been hunting with traditional bows--longbows, recurves, and self bows--since about 1950.  I never went the compound route--not necessarily against them, just never saw the beauty in them like I do varous wood combos.  I just took a nice fat, lone doe last night with a CariBow recurve (early '90s), and before the season is over I will take one more doe, then hold out for a buck during the rut activity in my neck of the woods.  They will all come to the freezer via one of my trad bows.

Best of luck on the hog hunt with your Bear.  I have taken a few with recurves and you can't beat the fun nor the meat!

Arch

[Dee]

GB just jogged my memory of my first bow. It too was a Ben Pearson re curve and all wood, no fiberglass.

[Frank V]

I shoot an older Bear Grizzly 54lb & early this year I bought a modern Bear Super K I love em both.
Frank

[a45gunslinger]

I've got a 60# grizzly it's as old as I am (39).. It still shoots really nice..I think there's still a pic on here of it with a doe i harvested..as far as you're ability..no surprise at all happy hunting - Kevin

[scout4]

Yep! My son has it now. Great old bows! Took my first archery deer with the old bear. scout4<><