Finding Fred – Bear with Me on this Journey…

A family member of mine was out hitting up garage sales and came across an old book. She decided it was something I might want so she bought it and gave it to me. The book…The Archers Bible by Fred Bear copyright 1968. Of course with the instant gratification of the internet, E-readers, Nooks, etc very few people actually read books with the book in hand anymore and I know anyone can easily Google this book and find somewhere to buy it. But there is something special about ‘finding’ such a treasure at a garage sale that may not mean much to someone else but is a prize to me. The cover is torn and worn, the pages are crinkled and old, the spine is separating and the “old book smell” is invigorating. Maybe it’s just me but with the genuine and mostly untainted world of hunting there is something tangible that creates a connection between this book and the natural feel of the outdoors.

Aside from all of that it’s a book by the Father of Bow hunting as some refer to him, Fred Bear and I feel like I was just let into a secret society as I open this book. Now honestly I haven’t read too much of it yet but looking through at the pictures and captions I am intrigued. There was a short paragraph in the introduction that really struck me that I think pertains to what Queens of Camo is all about:

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“This sport [archery] offers an ideal combination of fun, physical fitness and family togetherness of interest to both the individual and to groups of both sexes and all ages…many sports largely exclude women, but archery imposes no such limitation. Sheer strength is not a pre-requisite to success, and women not only can excel in the sport but find it to be an extremely good builder of posture and poise.”

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Now obviously the ‘posture and pose’ shows the age of this quote from 1968 when women were required to be proper and on point with everything they did, but the rest is perfect and still fits in today’s modern world. Fun, fitness, and family for everyone and proving that women CAN do this regardless of strength, size, and stature is one of the main points and goals I have to get more women involved. Maybe Fred Bear knew something the rest of the world didn’t quite understand yet and that women could dominate not only the hunting world but the bow hunting world as well. Unfortunately the number of women hunters hasn’t grown quite as fast as maybe Fred thought but we are reaching out and seeking anyone interested in any aspect of the sport.

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The other interesting aspect of this book I found just browsing through is that all the basics of archery are the same then as they are now including anchor points, draw length measurements, stalking, blinds, tuning, and caring for your equipment. As I move forward reading this book I will be writing blogs about some of the content as well as comparing then and now to with what we as archers believe and are taught to believe. It is very rare to find something, anything that can stand the test of time where the basics remain the same; the goal remains unchanged, and holds a universal appeal that is unmatched. Fred Bear, I hope we can make you proud.

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Source: Bear, Fred. (1968). The Archers Bible. Garden City, NY: DoubleDay & Company, Inc.

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Candace