[Little Loudmouth]

I just picked up a Bear Whitetail Jr. youth bow. Draw weight is adjustable between 35-40 pounds, currently set at 40. Draw length is adjustable from 23 inches-25 inches. It came with sight plate, sight bars, quiver, finger tab, arm guard and target. The price was $78.83 plus tax. What do you think?

[Soap]

Shoot a deer and then ask it ;) IMHO Bear bows are great for the price. They get the job done and I grew up shooting them without a single problem.

[SLCDave]

My 1-and-only is a Bear Recurve (76'er or Minuteman, I can't recall). I love it, but since I have nothing to compare it to, what do I know, right?

[Flashpoint]

Bears kill lots of deer.

Mine would have if I could have ever got one to come close enough to me.:(

[birddog]

Just by coincidence................

I just returned from Maine (to my home in NY) at 3 this morning, with a cooler full of bear meat. How, you may ask, did this bear die? Well, since you asked, it was courtesy of a Bear Grizzly compound bow, Gold-Tip 31 inch carbon arrows, and Thunderhead 100 broadheads. The bear was heart-shot at 15 yards (broadside), and went 50 yards. Didn't seem to mind at all that I was shooting a Bear bow instead of a Jennings, PSE, Matthews, Flavor-of-The-Month, etc bow. (not that those aren't great bows).

This bow has now accounted for 7 bucks, 3 does, a grouse, countless backyard rabbits, a woodchuck and now a black bear. I'll keep replacing strings and cables as needed, and I've no need to switch bows. Be happy with your bow and take the time to get comfortable with it. It will work just fine as long as you can hit what you're aiming at.

It's not the brand name, it's the relentless practice.

Also, learn to gauge yardage. Learn what yardage you're comfortable shooting, and don't overextend yourself. I can hit targets at 35 yards, but won't exceed 25 for a shot at a live animal. For me, bowhunting is a 10-20 yard game. If you're confident with the bow, are patient enough to wait for the right shot, your Bear bow will be just fine.

Practice, practice, practice. And practice some more.

Joel

[Joe Demko]

I have 2 Bear recurves that I wouldn't trade for anything.
Note: if you keep your eyes open you can often pick up a Bear recurve at garage sales for very, very little money.

[Jim March]

If I ever see a bear with a bow, I think I'd wet my pants...

[birddog]

Jim,

Bears with bows are not all that dangerous. Because of the structure of their paws, they are unable to use mechanical releases and are forced to shoot instinctively. And with their eyesight as poor as it is, peep-sights and fiber optic sight pins also give them grief. Most bears with bows are just young boars, out to prove something, and not really much cause for concern. As they age, they'll revert to the old, more common "claws and teeth" thing.

Besides that, they mostly sit around and discuss the "does a bear s**t in the woods" conundrum, eat honey, and watch pirated videos of The Edge, The Bear, Grizzly Adams.

Archery is usually the last thing on their minds.

[Sunray]

Not bad at all. You'd best check your local hunting regs if you intend to hunt with it though. Up here, there's a 45 pound low end limit for hunting bows. Good bow for learning to shoot with though. You should be able to shoot it all day without hurting yourself. Muscle strains and such. If you can't easily lift 40 pounds, you won't be able to shoot a 40 pound bow either. And don't try to either. You'll hurt yourself. And 5 pounds does make a difference.
Then when you move up to a heavier draw weight and length bow, you'll have the technique and just have to build up the upper body tone to pull a heavier bow. You're good for a year or so anyway. I'm guessing you're not finished growing, so your draw length will change. Meanwhile, go get some suitable arrows and have fun.

[Little Loudmouth]

Sunray, I have indeed checked the local regs. The limit here is 35 pounds.

Also, I am sorry to announce, apparently there was a flaw in the limb. I was practicing the other day, and at the third shot the limb snapped off at the base.

And yes, I was pulling/shooting correctly.

[stevelyn]

I've always owned Bear bows since I was a teenager. They're tough as nails and have always performed. My next one is probably going to be a Hoyt or Reflex. Only because I'm a finger shooter and I haven't seen any current production Bear bows with axle-to-axle lengths longer than 38". My current Bear is a Super Magnum 44 w/ a 44" length I bought in 1989.

[Little Loudmouth]

I got an email back from Bear. They say they have been "having a problem" with these bows. I'll have my new bow soon; we're going to Marquette to pick up a Browning Micro Midas.

[Nanook]

Birddog, that was an inspired bit of lunacy. I wish I thought of it. :D