The legend of Fred Bear lives on!
Most bowhunting enthusiasts and archers would probably put the late, great Fred Bear near the top of the list for the greatest hunters who has ever lived. Bear harvested everything from African elephants to a Bengal tiger in India using the simplest of archery tackle.
He's most well-known for his hunts of North American big-game animals. We're fortunate a few of these hunts were filmed for future generations to see and enjoy.
In this hunt, you'll see Fred do a little bowfishing before stalking and harvesting both a mountain goat and then a grizzly bear using the simplest of bowhunting gear.
Fred's spot-and-stalk skills were on full display here and we were not disappointed by what we saw. What makes this even more impressive today is the gear. We don't see any fancy scent containment systems. He's wearing his signature plaid shirt and brown pants instead of the latest and fanciest camo patterns. For that matter, we didn't see his hunting partner holding a rifle as a back-up. They were in bear country after all!
We're not sure if you noticed the way he casually tossed that old recurve bow around either. He does it at least twice. The first time is when they're crossing the river to stalk the goat. He just casually chucks the bow into the bushes. After the shot, once they recover the animal, he just kind of drops it on the ground. You would never see a bowhunter doing that today. This man trusted in the durability of his equipment!
What this video shows more than anything is just how convoluted hunting has gotten in the last 50-60 years. Bear needed only the simplest of gear to go out and have a spectacular adventure like this. For most of us, a hunt like this would be the adventure of a lifetime. For Fred, it was probably just another day in the office. We do appreciate the reminder of the simple things in hunting being the most important and the chance to honor a legend by witnessing some of his highlights!
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NEXT: FRED BEAR ONCE WENT BENGAL TIGER HUNTING IN INDIA WITH A TRADITIONAL BOW
