Welcome to the best Bear Archery recurve bow reviews and guide to Bear’s accessories.
Founded by the legendary Fred Bear, Bear Archery has been creating shootable works of art since before World War II. Fred Bear began crafting bows under the tutelage of Art Young. It only took a few short years for Fred’s passionate hobby to become a full-time endeavor. Holding many, many patents, Bear Archery offers quite a few new cutting-edge recurve bows, while also still making many of the legendary bows form ‘back in the day’. You can truly have the rare opportunity to own the same bow as your father, or even your grandfather, might have used in his youth! Two Bear Archery recurve bows made our top ten list: the Bear Grizzly and the Bear Super Kodiak.
Before we move on though, here are the top 3 models. For more, make sure to check out our list of all Bear Archery recurve reviews.
Bear Archery’s Top 3 Recurve Bows:
Bear Grizzly Recurve Bow View on Amazon.com | Bear Archery Super Kodiak View on Amazon.com | Bear Kodiak Cub Recurve Bow View on Amazon.com |
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| Our Review | Our Review | Our Review | |
| Length | 58" | 60" | 24" |
| Bow Weight | ~2 lbs | 3 lbs. | ~1.7 lbs |
| Draw Weight | 50, 55, 60 lbs. | 45, 50, 60 lbs. | 20, 30 lbs. |
| Takedown? | No | No | No |
Bear’s website offers visitors an easy format for navigation, and also offers a host of additional features. There is a section of good how-to videos and even an area to share your hunting photos. The comparison chart below lists the most popular recurve bows manufactured by Bear Archery. You can also do a side-by-side comparison, and can even click the “Our Review” link to read a very detailed overview of a specific recurve bow. Our page is constantly updated; including new information and reviews of previously unlisted Bear recurves.
How do Bear Archery recurves line up?
As you read our Bear Archery recurve bow reviews, you’ll notice a few things many have in common:
- Accurate
- Very strong
- Have been in production for many years
- Top quality
- Works of art
Bear Archery offers a lot of truly traditional recurve bows. Below is a breakdown of their main categories:
Traditional Bows
Bear Archery offers an extensive lineup of traditional, one-piece bows. In fact, they actually offer 11 different models of recurve that are the legendary one-piece that you so often see Fred Bear himself holding in photos. Each of these is a work of art in itself and many have been in production for over 40 years. There is one takedown offered for those who need additional portability.
Best Bear Archery Youth Bows
Fred Bear’s passion for archery and for the education of others to the sport really shines in this category. There is one ‘high-end’ traditional bow offered specifically as a youth bow, but also 5 additional recurves can be found specifically designed for youths. These range from the simplest bow for the youngest new shooter, to increasingly advance recurves offered as children grow and increase their shooting prowess. Some good examples of those are the Bear Archery Bulls-Eye and the Bear Kodiak Cub.
Bear Archery Accessories
Bear Archery offers some accessories under the Bear name, but the majority of their accessories are actually offered under the Trophy Ridge name, which Bear acquired in 2007.
Trophy Ridge
It suffices to say that Bear Archery has a strong development team as you look through the extensive offerings on their Trophy Ridge site. From their extensive lineup of sights, to a wide selection of arrow rests, you can get just about anything your heart desires. As this review focuses on Bear Archery and not Trophy Ridge, we will just leave you with the knowledge that you can get what you need from Bear, even if it doesn’t have Bear’s name on it!
Clothing
Bear offers a good selection of clothing to show your style and support for the traditional way of bow hunting. From caps to shirts, hoodies and more, you will have no trouble finding something to fit your tastes.
Used Bear Archery bows
Given how long Bear Archery has been in business, and given that many of their models have gone virtually unchanged for decades, you would be wise to really consider whether you want to purchase a used Bear recurve. This has nothing to do with their quality, but rather how someone might have cared for a bow that could be quite old.
Purchasing any used recurve bow comes with its own set of risks, and if you really want to purchase a used Bear recurve bow, we would strongly recommend you take it to a pro shop where it can be thoroughly evaluated before you pay up. Any used recurve can have defects that the previous owner may or may not be aware of, and which can only be recognized by an expert.
As is our usual advice, it is generally best for folks who are new to archery to purchase a less expensive new recurve rather than getting (what seems to be) a great deal on an expensive bow. Take a moment to check out our top 10 recurve bows where you can read reviews and compare prices.
Best Bear Archery Recurve Bows Review Summary
Bear Archery is a company that has remained true to its traditions, and the number of one-piece recurves offered proves that. It is evident as you look at Bear’s website and their offerings that Bear Archery holds to its hunting roots. One of bow hunting’s legends, “Uncle” Ted Nugent will consistently rave about Fred Bear and his exploits and knowledge of bow hunting and bow making, which says a lot about what you are getting with a Bear.
