VR headsets, AI chatbots, augmented reality, the metaverse. The world is headed in a very specific, digital direction.
Screen time for younger generations has risen to over seven hours a day, and we shouldn’t be surprised by the damage. Mental health issues are skyrocketing, addiction is out of control, and many kids lack basic social skills. Our current solution? More laws, more pills, or a trip to one of our fine state’s many dispensaries. We’re dulling the pain and our minds in the process.
Fred Bear had a different solution.
For most of human history, a man’s survival depended on his mastery of skills, not his proficiency with a computer. Most of his life was spent outside, trying to address his basic needs: food, water, shelter. Skills like hunting, foraging, and navigating the land were essential for survival. Staying alive required understanding the environment.
As the father of modern bowhunting, Fred Bear knew this.
If you’re not from Grayling, don’t listen to Ted Nugent, or grew up near the city, you may not have heard of Fred Bear.
Despite being born in Pennsylvania in 1902, Fred has cemented himself as a Michigan legend. He was so dedicated to his passion for the outdoors that he and his wife moved to northern Michigan and lived out of a tent to save money while building his business, the now world-famous bow company, Bear Archery—in Grayling.
And if convincing your wife to move to a new state and live out of a tent while you start a business wasn’t enough, consider this: There was really no market for archery equipment or bowhunting at that time.
Well, it paid off.
Thanks in a large part to his passion and efforts, the U.S. has nearly 11 million yearly bowhunters and 17 million recreational archers.
Man has been hunting with bows for the past 54,000 years. Many think it’s one of the reasons we Homo Sapiens outlived the Neanderthals. It made hunting less dangerous and more successful for our ancestors. One of the original pieces of technology—older than cups, baskets, or pottery—the bow is part of our DNA.
Despite Fred Bear’s undeniable success, this deep connection with the land is fading, and those skills are in decline. Today, less than 4% of Americans go hunting.
It’s hard to believe Bear’s shop opened nearly 80 years ago now. Grayling continues to honor Fred Bear’s legacy every year on his birthday, March 5th, and later this year, the city will erect a 7-foot-tall statue of Fred to commemorate his memory.
Fred’s final wish after his death in 1988 was to have his ashes spread over the Au Sable River, one of his favorite spots. This is what prompted Ted Nugent, one of his close friends, to write a tribute song nearly as badass as the man himself. We listen to it every year on the way up to deer camp.
So what makes people like us hold Fred so dear? Why do we remember him and his ideals in this way? I believe it was his attitude toward the world that made him such an attractive character.
“Go afield with a good attitude, with respect for the wildlife you hunt and for the forest and fields in which you walk. Immerse yourself in the outdoor experience. It will cleanse your soul and make you a better person.” We need deep connections in life. The extension of man through Fred’s tool is one of those connections. As Bear wrote, “The history of the bow and arrow is the history of mankind.”
The stick and string is a symbol of adaptability. It showcases man’s ability to overcome incredible challenges (like not starving to death) and helps satisfy our hunger for adventure. We yearn for true thrill. We are made for real experiences, not screen-based simulations. Danger can’t be faked, and Bear knew it.
The wild offers us chance, challenge, high stakes, and great rewards. It’s a powerful counterpoint to the mind-numbing comfort and predictability of modern life. It strips away the superficial and soft layers and exposes us to reality.
But exposure to the wild isn’t just about physical survival; it’s about spiritual revival. As Bear wrote, “When a hunter is in a treestand with moral values and with the proper hunting ethics and richer for the experience, that hunter is 20 feet closer to God.”
In the silence of the woods or the stillness of a sunrise watched from a treestand, we can hear God. And when we engage with the natural world around us, we’re participating in something much larger than ourselves. We’re not just hunters, hikers, or fishermen—we’re stewards of the land, taking part in something that honors the Creator.
Bear knew that when we immerse ourselves in the outdoors, we discover our true selves. In the solitude of the woods, life becomes more clear. In the challenges of the hunt, we find purpose. None of this happens, or can happen, through a screen.
Maybe it’s time to step outdoors and let nature cleanse our souls.
Tom Zandstra is a passionate outdoorsman and CEO of The Fair Chase. Follow him on X @TheFairChase1.
