Brand · Archery & Bowhunting
A Bear Archery compound bow is most often an adjustable ready-to-hunt package: one bow that covers a wide draw weight and draw length range, sold with a sight, rest and quiver already on. Bear also makes traditional recurves like the Grizzly, youth bows, crossbows and accessories. The short version: find your draw length, then pick the bow whose range covers it with room to grow. (Uncle Walt's bow has one setting. He calls it "the setting.")
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On this site, Bear Archery covers more ground than most bow brands. The grid above sorts it by type:
The grid changes week to week, so I'll write about the lines and what separates them, not how many are listed today. Most values in the grid come from Amazon listings and are marked that way. Where Bear's own product page gives a spec, the grid uses the maker's number.
This is the core of the Bear compound lineup. The Cruzer G4, the Legit, the Legit MAXX and the Adjustable Bear Maxx all list draw weight from 10 to 70 lb and draw length from 14 to 30 inches. That's one bow covering a 12-year-old's first summer and an adult's hunting setup, on paper.
Bear describes the Cruzer G4 as built for both youth and adult archers. Its package includes a Trophy Ridge rest, a 4-pin sight, a 5-arrow quiver, a stabilizer, a peep sight and a wrist sling, per the maker. The Legit MAXX package lists a Trophy Ridge sight, rest, quiver and stabilizer.
What separates them is mostly the frame. Per the maker, the Cruzer G4 is 29 inches axle to axle (ATA, the bow's length cam to cam) with a 6.5-inch brace height and 75% let-off. The Legit MAXX is 30 inches ATA. Here's what actually changes between them: about an inch of bow. If you hunt from a ground blind, that inch is worth checking against the window. (I checked ours with a kitchen ruler. The blind forgave the inch.)
The Royale and the Limitless have narrower ranges with lower top weights. Bear calls the Royale a lightweight, introductory compound bow for young archers and beginners. Its page lists:
The Limitless lists 25 to 50 lb draw weight, 19 to 29 inches of draw length, 65% let-off and a 28-inch ATA. If you know you'll never need 70 lb, these ranges sit lower and the bows run lighter.
The Alaskan Pro and the Whitetail INT list higher let-off than the adjustable bows: 85% for the Alaskan Pro and 90% for the Whitetail INT, per their listings. Let-off is how much the pull eases at full draw. Archery 360 explains that at full draw the cams let off and carry the weight, so you can settle into your anchor and hold.
Bear's 2026 lineup announcement describes the Alaskan Pro as a ready-to-hunt package with Trophy Ridge accessories and an EKO² cam system. More let-off means more time to wait for the deer to take one more step. The deer, in my experience, does not care.
The Brave is Bear's youngest compound. Its maker page lists 5 to 25 lb draw weight, 13.5 to 19.5 inches of draw length, 65% let-off and a 26-inch ATA, sold as a kit with arrows. The Warrior and the Brave Fred Bear Twilight are youth kits too. The Safetyglass arrows are fiberglass youth arrows in 3-packs, per their listing. Youth picks across brands are on the youth compound bow page.
Kids and arrows are a supervision job, not a joke. An adult on the line, every time.
Bear's traditional side is where the brand's history shows. Bear's own comparison says Fred Bear introduced the Grizzly in 1950. Today's Grizzly is a 58-inch recurve with a one-piece Shedua riser and maple limbs with fiberglass, per the maker. The Super Grizzly adds a two-piece riser and an extra maple laminate in the limbs, and Bear says it first appeared in the mid-1970s and came back in 2011.
The other traditional bows in the grid, per their listings:
A traditional bow's draw weight is set at the factory for a given draw length, so pick it once. The recurve bow page and the hunting recurve bow page explain draw weight across brands. The Superlite shoulder quiver and the ARC101 recurve case in the grid are built for this side of the lineup.
The two crossbow packages in the grid are the Constrictor LT and the Catalyst. Bear brought crossbows back in 2018 under the Bear X name, per Archery Business, and Bear X has its own brand page. Per the listings:
Both list a scope, arrows, a quiver and a sling in the package. The grid also has an aluminum cocking sled, a crossbow scope and Desire Mini Bolts. Never dry-fire a crossbow; Bear's warranty excludes dry-fire damage. Crossbows across brands are on the crossbow page, and scopes on the crossbow scope page. Crossbow seasons vary by state, so check your state wildlife agency.
Bear's site sells the Trophy Ridge sights in the grid. The Attack 1-Pin lists a 0.019-inch pin and a sight light. The React H5 SWFT Duo lists the same pin size, in a left-hand version. The Kodiak quick-disconnect quiver attaches to the bow. Sight types are on the bow sight page, quivers on the bow quiver page.
Draw length decides which bows can fit you at all. Archery 360's starting point: stand in a T, have a friend measure fingertip to fingertip, and divide by 2.5. Quick math: a 65-inch wingspan gives 26 inches. Archery 360 also warns that being an inch too long or short can hurt accuracy and even cause injury, and recommends a shop measurement to confirm.
Once you have it, check it against each bow's range. The Brave tops out at 19.5 inches. The Royale reaches 27. The Cruzer and Legit families reach 30.
My one opinion on this page: if you're still growing into a bow, buy one of the adjustable Bear models rather than a fixed-weight one. The checkable reason is in the specs: the adjustable Bear bows cover 10 to 70 lb, so you can start low and turn it up as you get stronger without buying a new bow. Archery 360 notes that adjustable cams change settings without new modules or a bow press. Check your state's minimum draw weight for deer before the season.
Let-off runs from 65% on the youth and Limitless bows to 85% and 90% on the Alaskan Pro and Whitetail INT, per the data. ATA runs from 26 to 30 inches across the bows Bear lists it for, and brace height from 5.5 to 7 inches. More on what each number does is on the compound bow page.
Most Bear compounds in the grid are ready-to-hunt packages, with sight, rest and quiver installed. That saves a shop trip and a parts list. If you already own a sight you like, check whether the exact listing is a package or a bare bow before you order. Beginner picks across brands are in best compound bow for beginners.
Bear's warranty says shooting arrows under 5 grains per pound of peak draw weight voids it. Quick math: a bow set to 60 lb needs arrows of at least 300 grains. Grain is a small unit of weight for arrows (437.5 per ounce). Arrow options are on the compound bow arrows page.
Bear's warranty page, in short:
All of it is for the original owner, and you have to register online within 30 days of purchase. Dry-firing, modifications and using a bow press Bear hasn't approved void it. Strings, cables, bearings and finish wear aren't covered. Register the bow the day it arrives, before the box goes to the recycling. Walt asked if he could register his 1987 compound. I told him the 30 days were up a while ago.
Both brands make compound bows, traditional bows and crossbows, and they come up in the same searches. On this site:
Bowhunter reports that PSE was founded in 1970 by Pete Shepley, has been based in Tucson, Arizona, for most of its history, and was bought by Heritage Outdoor Group in 2023. Compare draw length range, let-off and package contents model by model. The PSE Archery brand page has its lineup.
Here's what I could verify from Bear's own pages and a trade publication:
I couldn't verify where the current bows are made, so that's left out.
Draw length, draw weight, arrow weight. Get those three in order and the color of the bow is the only argument left at camp.
What the maker states is checkable: its compound bows carry a limited lifetime warranty on risers and cams for the original owner, and its adjustable bows list draw weight from 10 to 70 lb and draw length from 14 to 30 inches. Whether one suits you depends on your draw length, the weight you can pull and whether you want a package. Compare those specs first.
Bear Archery calls itself a division of Escalade Sports, headquartered in Evansville, Indiana. Archery Business reported in 2019 that Escalade Sports acquired the North American Archery Group in 2003 and does business as Bear Archery. Bear's own site says founder Fred Bear started Bear Products Company in 1933.
Per Bear's own comparison, both are 58-inch recurves. The Grizzly has a one-piece Shedua riser and a Dacron string. The Super Grizzly has a two-piece riser with an inlaid stripe, an extra maple laminate in the limbs and a Flemish twist string. Bear says the Grizzly dates to 1950 and the Super Grizzly to the mid-1970s, reintroduced in 2011.
Both, per the maker. Bear describes the Cruzer G4 as designed for youth and adult archers, with draw weight from 10 to 70 lb and draw length from 14 to 30 inches. It comes as a ready-to-hunt package with a Trophy Ridge rest, 4-pin sight, 5-arrow quiver, stabilizer, peep sight and wrist sling. The Cruzer G3 was in Bear's 2023 lineup; the grid lists the G4.
Bear's warranty page lists a limited lifetime warranty on compound bow risers and cams, with limbs fully covered for five years and half the replacement cost after. Traditional bows and Bear X crossbows get one year, youth bows 90 days. All need online registration within 30 days of purchase, and coverage is for the original owner.
The product grid on this page links to Bear Archery listings on Amazon US, filtered by type. Bear also sells on its own site. Check that the listing names the hand orientation and draw weight you want, since many Bear bows come in right- and left-hand versions.
