Longtime writer Dougherty is recipient of first Fred Bear award

Some of us are old enough to remember when deer were few, bows and arrows were novelties and bow-killed deer were considered feats of luck or incredible skill.

Many folks forget that, until 30 years ago, cars and trucks killed more deer by accident than bowhunters did on purpose. As a result, archers forever were trying to earn respect for their equipment and their craft.

The man most recognized for proving and publicizing the effectiveness of modern bows and arrows was Michigan\’s Fred Bear, who was not only a skilled archer, but also a masterful manufacturer and communicator. During the 1950s and 1960s, Bear hunted big game around the world with bows he designed for the Bear Archery Co., and then broadcast his feats on national TV and published them in books and magazines.

Bear didn\’t establish bowhunting\’s legitimacy alone, of course. In Wisconsin, Roy Case of Racine, Larry Whiffen of Milwaukee, Art Laha of Weyauwega and the fabled professor Aldo Leopold of Madison did their part. Nationally and internationally, men such as Howard Hill, Ben Pearson, Glenn St. Charles and Bill Wadsworth added to its credibility.