The GOD FATHER of Modern Archery! The Story of Fred Bear

For so many bowhunters there’s this… mythical connection within the experience of chasing wild animals in wild places. With that connection comes frequent thoughts of adventures and what it must have been like for early archery pioneers and woodsmen. That connection is derived from one soul, one man, who many consider to be The Godfather of modern archery.

Born in Waynesboro Pennsylvania on March 5th 1902 Fred Bear was the second of three children. One would think with all the famous Fred Bear hunting folktales and legends that he must have popped out of the womb with stick and string in hand. However that wasn’t the case, in fact Fred Bear did not even pick up a bow until he was nearly 30.

Early on Fred worked as a glue maker/printer for the Chrsyler Company in Detriot Michigan. As a plant manager Fred found himself out of work after a building fire left the operation in ashes sometime during the Great Depression.

Through that adversity, the Bear products Company was found. In 1933 Fred and a former coworker, Charles Piper, through together $1200 and the company was off to the races operating out of his garage. But the initial focus of the company wasn’t archery, it was silk screening.

In 1938 Fred hired Nels Grumley, a woodworker and bowyer, at that point the company started offering hand made wooden bows. In 1940 Fred sold the advertising side of Bear Products, Bear Archery was then born.

In 1947 Fred Bear moved his wife to Grayling Michigan, where they lived out of tent along a river in efforts to keep their personal expenses down to make a go of their archery business.

So where did Fred’s love of archery come from? Inspired by a meeting of Art Young in the 1920’s and Art’s film Adventures in Alaska, Fred became infatuated with sport.

His obsession for archery quickly turns his personal shooting efforts into some tangible accomplishments as he began winning archery tournaments that include Michigan’s target archery state championships in 1934, 1937, and 1939.

Beyond target archery Fred also helped create Michigan’s first bowhunting season in 1937 which prompted others states to follow suit.

In 1942 Fred’s first cinematic project would break ground as he became the very first Michigan bowhunter to ever harvest a whitetail on film.

That film project was just the beginning of Fred’s adventures. He continued his bowhunting film pursuits around the world as he displayed his woodsmen ship and archery skills on elusive big game species, which included Alaskan brown bear, caribou, moose, stone sheep, bengal tiger, African lion, a 4 ton elephant shot at 40 yards, a Cape buffalo, and even a polar bear.

Fred’s adventures were critical in growing the sport of archery hunting throughout the years leaving a long last legacy and impact on the hunting community. Not only were his filmed adventures entertaining but they were also educational by design. In all his efforts, the goal of growing the sport of bowhunting for all was always top of mind.

As you can see Fred’s personal accomplishments are astounding and we haven’t even gotten into the impact of the Bear Archery Company. As a true pioneer in the archery world, Fred Bear earned patents on tools like the Razorhead Broadhead, the modern shooting glove, fiberglass bow backings, the quiver, and so many more archery tools used around the world.

One would think Bear archery was one of the first compound bow manufacturers in the world but that wasn’t the case. Fred’s focus was on recurve and long bows. In fact, it took years for Bear Archery to find success in the compound world with their model the Whitetail Hunter.

While Bear Archery has changed hands throughout the years, they still to this day manufacture high quality bows at every price category imaginable. And doing so while carrying Fred’s cornerstone business philosophies of keeping customers first priority and passing along Fred Bears 10 Commandments.

At the age of 86 Fred Bear passed away in 1988 but his legacy and impacts on bowhunting will live on forever. While we all should appreciate his efforts, personality, and accomplishments the modern day bowhunter will likely never fathom where we would be without the life work of Fred Bear. For so many bowhunters there’s this… mythical connection within the experience of chasing wild animals in wild places. With that connection comes frequent thoughts of adventures and what it must have been like for early archery pioneers and woodsmen. That connection is derived from one soul, one man, who many consider to be The Godfather of modern archery.

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