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Recommendation on Bear bows

C

chriswannabern

New Member
Joined
Oct 7, 2021
Messages
3
I’m looking to upgrade my PSE stinger X for next year. I found a Bear Kuma with a 33” ata and was curious if anyone has any experience with them. How do they compare to the Kuma 30” ata or the divergent bows? I tried an Elite Remedy that is 33 or 34” ata and the pull was really nice but the price tag wasn’t. Just looking for a little more budget option.

Thanks
 
What’s your price range? I’m not a big fan of Bear. Heavy, slow and not great with any kind of service.
 
Most of the high end bear bows are still a good price. Not throwing a loop in your plan but Hoyt, Mathews make a budget bow as well. Also with the bear bows you can find last years models for dirt cheap even brand new sometimes. Save you some money that way!
 
Camelcluch said:
What’s your price range? I’m not a big fan of Bear. Heavy, slow and not great with any kind of service.
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Not sure where you get that info from. I had an Arena 34 that shot every bit of its IBO which is 345. No heavier than any other manufacturer. Have you handled a Mathews of the same ata or a pse. Bear has some of the best customer service in the industry. I happen to live an hour half from the factory in Gainesville and you can carry bow in on a Saturday and they fix on the spot if needed. The Bear now is NOT the Bear of the late 90’s early 2k. They are right there with any of the big dogs as far as performance just their bad years left a bad rap.
 
Camelcluch said:
What’s your price range? I’m not a big fan of Bear. Heavy, slow and not great with any kind of service.
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I'm fine with spending somewhere in the $500 may be up to the $750 range. I do want something that shoots faster than my PSE stinger X as the IBO is rated at 308. To be honest I have nothing against this bow but when I pulled back on the Elite Remedy it felt a lot better. The reason I was thinking about the Kuma was its IBO was 338 with a 33" ata. I realize speed is not everything but figured if I upgrade I would like it to be faster as well as have a nice pull.
 
Bowtie747 said:
Most of the high end bear bows are still a good price. Not throwing a loop in your plan but Hoyt, Mathews make a budget bow as well. Also with the bear bows you can find last years models for dirt cheap even brand new sometimes. Save you some money that way!
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I'm not dead set on a particular brand, and I'm willing to try any of them to find the right one for me. From my understanding, the longer the ata may give you an easier pull and faster speeds. That's why I was leaning more towards the Kuma. Feel free to make any suggestions on any of the brands.
 
Brands, Hoyt, Mathews, Bear, Bowtech. Pretty much all the top names are good too go. I wouldn’t personally go in with a certain bow in mind. If you can find a shop that has more than one, shoot more than one. Find what fits you, and feels good for you. As far as bows it really depends on how much you want to spend. If you want to save some money but still get the best of the best, buy a used bow or see if the shop has a few of last years models around. Just because a company come out with a new bow it doesn’t make it better than last years.
 
I have a Bear Kuma 30 and have taken several deer with it over the past couple of years. Tunes well for me and I like that it’s compact but still shoots well.
Bears top end bows are definitely a lot better than their budget models. I have owned both and it’s a big difference. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy a Kuma if I were you. Can find a good on a new last years model on eBay I’m sure
 
I worked in a shop for several years. Bear was about as bad as bowtech for CS. If you got ibo, that was a good bow but not the norm. Any way, for the op, check Podium Archer for left over elites if that’s what you like. Last I saw there were nice deals there for elite. Prime can be found on Solo Hunter for cheap as well. A used Hoyt nitrum or carbon element can be found for a few hundred. Find the bow you want and don’t settle just to make a change. You won’t ever be happy if you settle on something.
 
I wouldn’t call them heavy or slow. At least not any of the ones I’ve owned. I’m on my third season with my divergent. I’d say try a bear out.
 
my former primary, now back up bow, is a bear traxx

it's stated ibo is 338 fps, and i measured its speed and then back calculated its ibo (with assumptions about weight of stuff on string)....and it came out to 335 fps, which is much closer than most bows (at 30 inch draw length and 61 lbs draw weight it shoots over 280 fps with a 412 grain arrow with a string with a large peep, tied on nocks, d loop, and nose button and that arrow goes through deer like they are made of jello)

so not slow

i got it on sale from midwayusa, new in box, for half price

the kuma is basically a slightly faster and better version of this bow

i don't think you'll be unhappy

the hybrid cams on these have a short valley and force you to pull into the back wall hard because if you creep forward it will want to take off on you, this is different than most higher letoff binary cams, but actually encourages good shooting form (push and pull)

i actually shoot the bear better than my new bowtech, but that is probably due in part to owning and shooting the bear for 5 years
 
Camelcluch said:
What’s your price range? I’m not a big fan of Bear. Heavy, slow and not great with any kind of service.
Click to expand...
I had great customer service from them...my boss bought a cruzer online and never used it. No release or arrows, he just put it in a case...fast forward 6 months and I bought it. Got arrows and release and learn how to shoot over the next couple months. I took the bow up to work so I could shoot during break. 2 coworkers are in the break area with me while we're on break. I go inside to pee and as I'm walking back out I hear the bow go off. My coworker dryfired the bow and both cams bent/deformed at the post where the string loops over. My boss had never registered it and long story short after some registration online and a couple phone calls I had both cams new in my mailbox and I had to pay the bow shop to install.

I have since upgraded but the cruzer will be used by my son or my wife....it's much lighter than my upgrade
 
In just upgraded from a Bear Encounter that I shot for 7 years. RTH at bass pro for I think 400 so definitely lower end. I was going to sell it when I upgraded, but just can’t bring myself to let it go. Definitely not heavy, and plenty fast to get the job done. I was looking to upgrade to their flagship, but couldn’t find it anywhere to try out. So I started looking at other brands and shot a Solution and that was that. If Bear had a bow that I could tune without a press, I’d have just bought one anyway without even looking at it first. Several guys from THP shoot Bear bows, they even have some YouTubes about them.
 
I shoot a kuma 33, great bow imo. Shot an elite option last year. My Bear is hands down a better bow, easier to work on and adjust without having to purchase a ton of extra pieces, like mods, in the off chance you might need them.
 
chriswannabern said:
I'm fine with spending somewhere in the $500 may be up to the $750 range. I do want something that shoots faster than my PSE stinger X as the IBO is rated at 308. To be honest I have nothing against this bow but when I pulled back on the Elite Remedy it felt a lot better. The reason I was thinking about the Kuma was its IBO was 338 with a 33" ata. I realize speed is not everything but figured if I upgrade I would like it to be faster as well as have a nice pull.
Click to expand...

If you have a cabelas near you stop in. They have the blackout epic ready to hunt made by bear for $600 I think. It’s a bear bow, 4.6lbs trophy ridge sight which is fairly good. Quiver and wiskey biscuit rest. And it’s 345IBO 32” ATA
 
@chriswannabern, have you hunted out of a saddle with your current bow and what about it do you not like that's making you want to upgrade? I have a Hoyt Torrex which is a great bow at a starter price and have taken a deer with it. It is wonderful to shoot from the ground but haven't made my mind up yet if I'll keep it next year. The reason being is that the split limb design that it and most bows have makes it feel wide and somewhat unwieldy. I fully understand that this is just a personal perception issue and not a functional issue.

My son has a Diamond Edge 320 with a single limb design and I actually like his better due to its slimness. I'm not saying that I would trade the Hoyt for his bow but instead of getting hung up on brand names or a specific model, look for the features you want and shoot the best with. I'd much rather hunt with a tack driving "cheap" bow than a "high end" bow that I struggle with.
 
If you're wondering about the brand- I bought a Cruzer g2 rth package last year. To be honest I didn't get a lot of help picking it out/testing bows from the "bow shop" (bass pro) but so far so good. I bought it because of the adjustability, but also to be honest, haven't adjusted it much other than turning down the draw weight some last year, then turning it back up this past summer after more practice. I do look forward to turning it into my kids first "real" bow once they are ready, but it'll be a while until then. I wouldn't be scared off by really any of the brand names at this point, but also am not planning to have brand loyalty whenever I do replace or "upgrade" this one.

If you're wondering about the ATA length, I can't directly help you there, not enough experience. I've heard secondhand that longer length can be harder to maneuver in the tree/possibly more difficult spot and stalk/shooting from a seated position but that's just all stuff I regurgitated from here/YouTube, so may not hold water.
 
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