The Early Contributors Fred Bear was probably the greatest known bowhunter ever.
He pioneered the sport, and founded target shooting in Michigan and the rest of
the United States. Art Young taught Bear to make bows, arrows and handmade Irish
linen bow strings. During the Great Depression Bear and Charles Piper saved $600
and started Bear Products Company. They sold silk-screen banners and flyers for
Chrystler, but on the side he sold handmade bows to the growing number of
archers and bowhunters. Eventually his archery sales were able to support him
alone. At this point Bear Archery was born, which still produces quality
bowhunting and archery equipment. During his lifetime of pursuing his dream,
bowhunting, he became known as "The Gentlemen Woodsman." Saxon Pope
and Arthur Young were two of the worlds foremost known hunters. They founded the
Pope & Young Club, which is still used today, back in the early 1900's.
Their film " Alaskan Adventures" inspired Fred Bear to begin
bowhunting. Arthur Young learned his skills from an old Indian named Ishi.
People say that this Indian was the very last primitive Indian, who came out of
hiding in 1911. Bow Companies and Designs In 1931 Earl Hoyt Sr. formed a
partnership with his son Earl Hoyt Jr. to begin Hoyt Archery. They began making
wooden arrows and ran their first ad in the old "Ye Sullivan Archery"
in Corvallis, Oregon. They engineered using plastics in bows, the first
overdraw, dynamic balance, equal length bow limbs, and the first semi pistol
grip. They designed the deflex-reflex principle, which all bows use. Hoyt
engineered the first stabilizer that introduced a new dimension in accuracy,
they also produced the first adjustable arrow rest. In 1972 they developed a bow
limb take-down system that accurately aligned the limbs and the riser. They
called it the Pro Medalist T/D (take-down), and two were in the 1972 Olympics,
both won gold medals. During the next four Olympics Hoyt won gold, silver, and
bronze medals. They also won more medals in FITA and NAA competitions than other
company. When Easton Aluminum bought the company in 1983 these changes came
about: -an interior socket channel for adjusting the alignment of limbs -a
vertically adjustable arrow support member to further aid in tuning the bow -
synthetic foam core limbs -the first working recurve limb -radiused sight
windows for better broadhead clearance -the AIM cable/string system -compound
speed changer system Hoyt, having been a leader of innovation and modern
production methods, has been at the forefront as an archery equipment
manufacturer. The old Hoyt policy of quality first, supersending productivity,
has become the pledge of the new Hoyt USA. (1998 Hoyt Catalog/www.hoyt-usa.com)
PSE (Precision Shooting Equipment) was founded by Pete Shipley, who produced a
new release aid and began selling it in 1970. He later produced plastic vanes to
replace feathers for longer life and more durability. When he invented his first
compound bow he introduced it at an Indiana tournament, and one week later he
received orders for 200 more just like it. The orders would not stop coming in,
and PSE was born. PSE is the only company of the first five companies that got
liscensened under the Allen Patent still producing bows. In 1982 PSE moved from
Mohomet, Illinois to Tucson, Arizona. Pioneering machined risers of solid
aluminum and the four staged forging process to create strong, lightweight bows.
With new designs like the Lightning One Cam, the Maxis HL eccentric on the
Mach-Series and others. PSE also the RS Line of sights which are very popular
with hunters and target shooters alike. Mathews Inc........probably the most
innovative design in all of archery! Matt McPhearson pioneered the single cam
design, and now everyone has one. The new perimeter weighted MaxCam is probably
the best eccentric ever patented. Presently Mathews' bows are on top of the
market. Whether it is the new MQ1, BlackMax , UltraMax or the Original Z-Max, or
FeatherMax. Mathews is outselling every other company with fast bows with a
smooth and quiet feel. Mathews has only been around for a few years, but has
been coming out with hot new bows ever since they begun, here are some of them:
The new Mathews MQ1 has been said to be the most accurate bow ever made, and
with the new perimeter weighted Straightline MaxCam, which has the straightest
nock point travel ever, it is no wonder. As Mathews says, "The Straightline
MaxCam has the silken responsiveness of a fine fly rod, from the moment you
draw, to the instant the arrow leaves the string, you feel one sensation-smooooooooooooth.
In fact it is so smooth that it is hard to believe how fast it launches the
arrow. Without a doubt 'This is the most advanced cam in the world.'" With
all this it is no wonder that Mathews' motto is "Test Fire a Mathews, it
will blow your mind." Mathews Z-Max is "The bow that broke the two cam
speed barrier," as Mathews says. This is going to be a classic. Equipped
with the Original MaxCam and a truly supreme riser and limbs, that it is no
wonder it fires arrows up to the speed of 320 fps (IBO). This bow will be a
best-seller for a long time. The Mathews FeatherMax is fast, lightweight and
compact, all these things are combined to produce my favorite bow. Mathews took
the old FeathLight with the Pro-Cam and stuck it with the new MaxCam. This bow
is smooth, fast with high let-off (80%) that does not strain your muscles. It
has the "traditional feel" as Mathews calls it, but this is a long way
from Fred Bear and his longbows. The new MaxCam rockets arrows up to 310 fps
(IBO). Mathews says this has "the speed without the kick." Arrows
Easton originated the aluminum arrow industry and set the standards for other
companies. Their original XX75 arrow was and still is probably the most popular
aluminum arrow. Easton engineered a new arrow alloy, XX78, which gave you more
speed, strength, and straightness for a price less than carbon arrows. ACC and
A/C/E shafts are something to wonder about. ACC stands for
aluminum/carbon/carbon, which means one aluminum wrap and two carbon wraps for
speed and strength never seen. The A/C/E is probably the fastest arrow ever
made, but at $275 a dozen, we won't discuss that. The summary of Easton is it is
the most known and used arrow on the market, and with Beman under it umbrella,
there isn't going to be a lot of competition. Carbon Tech is a new all carbon
shaft, it is claimed to be the fastest stuff on earth, here's why: 348,000 pure
carbon threads are bonded together to form the arrow, and has a degree of
straightness ranging from .00275 to .00485. The only problem I can see with this
shaft is the outserts that go on the tiny diametered shaft, which are sometimes
known to slip off in a target, and prevent full penetration on game. Sights Pin
Sights , were probably and still are the most frequent used of all sights. They
began as a match taped to the front of the riser on an old long bow. These
sights are usually set in a mount bracket that screws into the bow riser. Pins
generally consist of one of these two things: brass pins are tough, that is why
some people look to them for accuracy, but you cannot see the in low light as
well as the light absorbing fiber optic pins. Usually set in a clear plastic
casing to enhance the absorbing power, but sometime they can be threaded around
the casing for even more light absorbing power. They are arranged in the bracket
in order to aim. You look through the peep at the appropriate pin. Adjustable
Pin Sights are most common through out the Olympics and target shooting. It
consists of a single pin that is adjustable for windage and yardage, and is most
commonly called a target sight. It is a little comparable to the adjustable
scope sight I have brought (visuals). Out of all the other sights and such, my
favorite would have to be the pin sight. it is the most simple and easy to use
sight you can buy, although you may get the pins mixed up and shoot wrong. Well
I hope in reading this you have learned a little about my favorite pass-time.