Jun 7, 2017 - Fred Bear was an American icon. Considered the father of modern bowhunting in America, he founded Bear Archery Co. in his Detroit garage in 1933.

By the time bowhunting began to catch on in the U.S. as a popular sport in the 1960s, Bear had already traveled the world promoting and teaching the sport.

He died in 1988 at the age of 86, and bowhunters today owe a huge debt of gratitude to this Michigan man who took it upon himself to revive a traditional method of hunting that can be traced back to ancient times.

With a nod to Bear, let’s talk about improving your shot, because as we know, taking an animal with a bow is a lot different than with a shotgun.

And here we have Realtree's Tyler Ridenour to do just that. He has some tips for improving your spot and stalk success while bowhunting.

Spit and stalk archery hunting is challenging and even frustrating, but also a lot of fun, he says:

I’ve found that nothing gets my adrenaline flowing like sneaking into bow range of unsuspecting game. This method of hunting will test your skills and patience. But when success is realized there is no greater feeling. These five tips will help you to end more stalks with a filled tag.

Here are his five tips:

1. Speed up, slow down
2. Make terrain work for you
3. Rarely a one-on-one game
4. Don't expect a top pin shot
5. Patience is everything.

Read Tyler’s full explanations, and next time you’re in the woods with your bow, remember Fred Bear.

Many great hunting quotes are attributed to him, but here’s one that’ll surely resonate:

“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.” – Fred Bear