Fred Bear

Fred Bear
Fred Bear and Jim Henderson in 1943
Born	(1902-03-05)March 5, 1902 Waynesboro, Pennsylvania
Died	April 27, 1988(1988-04-27) (aged 86) Gainesville, Florida
Nationality	American
Occupation	bow hunter & bowyer television host
Known for	Archery and hunting

Fred Bear (March 5, 1902 – April 27, 1988) was an American bow hunter, bow manufacturer, author, and television host.

He was born in the town of Waynesboro, Pennsylvania. Although he didn't start bow hunting until he was 29 and did not master the skill for many years, he is widely regarded as a pioneer in the bow-hunting community. Bear was a world traveler, film producer, and the founder of Bear Archery, an outdoor company that still exists.

He died in Gainesville, Florida, and is in the Bowhunters Hall of Fame.

Early on, Bear was working as a glue maker for the Chrysler Company in Detroit. In an interview, he mentioned operating a plant from 1929-1933, during the depression, that caught fire, thus rendering him unemployed. With a partner named Chuck who had worked at the same plant, they put together $1,200 to open his bow business in a garage. Bear Archery Company was thus founded in 1933.

In 1947, Bear and his wife moved to Grayling, Michigan, where they lived in a tent along a river to keep their personal expenses down while trying to make a go of their bow business. Even as late as 1961, it was difficult making ends meet for Bear. The following years proved prosperous however, as more states permitted bow hunting and the sport's growth steadily increased.

Bear's interest in bowhunting was stimulated by another legend, Art Young of the Pope & Young Club, whom Bear met in Michigan in the late 1920s and often called his hero. Bear's first bowhunting trophy was a Michigan whitetail taken in 1935. In the ensuing years, he traveled the world with his bow and appeared before thousands of bowhunters promoting and teaching the sport. His television debut was made on the Arthur Godfrey Show, with later appearances on the American Sportsman and the Tonight Show. He also produced several films of bowhunting around the world.

Bear sold controlling interest in his company in 1968, but continued on with the title of chairman. In 1978, following a strike and continuing labor problems, the Bear Archery manufacturing operation was relocated to Gainesville, Florida.

Bear struggled with chronic emphysema later on in life, and suffered a heart attack while living in Florida and was admitted to a hospital in Gainesville. He remained in the hospital for a month, and died after another heart attack on April 27, 1988. His body was cremated, and his ashes spread near the AuSable River in Upper Michigan, where Fred had liked to flyfish.