Compound Bow | Draw Weight | Draw Length | Brace Height | IBO Speed | Let-off | AtA Length / Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bear Archery Cruzer See Today's Price on Cabelas | 5 - 70 lbs. | 12" - 30" | 6.5" How To Choose Arrows | 310 FPS | 75% | 32" / 3.6 lbs. |
| Pros: - A good choice for hunters who prefer a shorter bow - A nice, lightweight, bow - Not too expensive - Fully outfitted for hunting | Cons: - Too short for most target shooters - Not fast enough for some archers |
| Compare prices across top hunting gear sellers | |
The Bear Cruzer at a Glance
Welcome to our Bear Cruzer compound bow review. Folks, this is one sweet bow! With an adjustable draw range of 12 inches to 30 inches and an adjustable draw weight of 5 lbs. to 70 lbs. with 75 percent let-off, it is specifically designed to accommodate archers of any size and stature and, best of all, it is the perfect bow for young shooters and beginners because its adjustability will enable it to grow with the archer’s size and/or skill level. Yet, with an IBO speed of 310 FPS, it is a relatively fast bow and the 6.5 inch brace height makes it reasonably forgiving to shoot. Plus, with a weight of only 3.6 pounds, it is light enough for smaller archers to carry and shoot with ease and for adults to carry all day long without undue fatigue. Plus, it comes fully outfitted with every accessory needed to start hunting immediately!
The Bear Cruzer Contents & Assembly
The package contains the fully assembled bow (limbs, riser, cams, cables, string, and string suppressor), a Trophy Ridge Whisker Biscuit arrow rest, a Trophy Ridge 4 pin lighted sight, a Trophy Ridge stabilizer a Trophy Ridge sling, a Trophy Ridge Quiver, a peep sight, a nock loop, a printed manual, and Bear’s warranty card. Thus, it has everything you need to start hunting right away.
The Bear Cruzer Eccentric System (cams)
Featuring Bear’s MV double cam system, the Bear Cruzer has moderate cam design give it a smooth, easy, draw cycle. Also, it has 75 percent let-off so that it is easy to hold at full draw for extended periods even with the limbs cranked down. In addition, it has an IBO speed of 310 FPS which is not particularly fast by comparison to some of Bear’s other bows but, it is fast enough to provide a reasonably fast arrow trajectory for hunting.
Shooting Speed
Like I said in the above section, with an IBO speed of only 310 FPS, the Bear Cruzer is not a particularly fast compound bow compared to some of Bear’s other bows but, 310 FPS is still respectable. Thus, as long as the archer either spends the time to become proficient at judging distance or uses a range finder of one sort or another, this bow will serve well as a hunting bow since it delivers plenty of kinetic energy for the arrow to penetrate the body cavity. However, it should be noted that all IBO ratings are determined based on the following criteria:
- 350 grain arrows
- 70 lb. draw weight
- Any draw length the manufacturer chooses
Therefore, the lower the draw weight, the shorter the draw length, and/or the heavier the arrow, the slower the bow will shoot. Learn more about what speeds to actually expect.
Kinetic Energy (KE) of the Bear Cruzer Compound Bow
As with any compound bow, the kinetic energy of the Bear Cruzer will vary significantly with differences in arrow weight and arrow speed. However, here are some close estimates of what to expect from a couple of different parameters:
- 70 lbs. / 30″ / 350 grain arrows: 74.7 ft-lbs KE
- 70 lbs. / 30″ / 425 grain arrows: 90.7 ft-lbs KE
Note: the numbers listed above are for a point-blank range measured immediately in front of the riser. Thus, in order to determine the Cruzer’s kinetic energy at longer ranges, you should subtract approximately 1.8 ft-lbs. for every 10 yards of distance from your target from the values listed above.
The Bow’s Draw Cycle
Like most compound bows with a moderate cam design, the Bear Cruzer has relatively smooth draw cycle that makes it fairly easy to draw. Also, with a brace height of 6.5 inches, it is not as forgiving to shoot as other Bear bows with a longer brace height and the extremely short axle-to-axle length tends to contribute to this problem. However, it is an accurate bow provided that the archer either already has, or takes the time to develop, good shooting form. Also, it has a solid wall with a complete lack of creep which made it easy to achieve consistently accurate shots and tight groups. Thus, overall I am very pleased with the way it draws and shoots.
Noise Levels and Vibration
Due to a riser design that appears to be a close copy of the PSE riser combined with a preloaded limb design which is also a feature that PSE incorporates on their bows, the Bear Cruzer is a relatively smooth and quiet bow to shoot by itself. But, when you add the string suppressor and the Trophy Ridge stabilizer, it suddenly becomes very quiet and very smooth to shoot. Plus, the included Trophy Ridge sling enables the archer to shoot with an open hand which eliminates even more felt recoil; all of which contributes to its excellent accuracy.
Using the Bear Cruzer for Hunting
With an axle-to-axle length of only 32″, the Bear Cruzer is very easy to maneuver in tight quarters. Consequently, due to its short axle-to-axle length and relatively light weight, it is a good choice for hunters who need a short bow for hunting from a tree stand or ground blind. Also, the 75 percent let-off makes it easy to hold at full draw for extended periods while Bear’s MV double cam system give it the speed it needs for a clean, accurate, shot. Plus, it comes with a Trophy Ridge Whisker Biscuit which, in my opinion, is the absolute best arrow rest ever designed for hunting along with a Trophy Ridge 4-pin lighted sight which, there again in my opinion, is the best bow sight manufacturer on the market.
Depending on the size of game animals you plan to hunt, you’re arrows will need to deliver enough kinetic energy to penetrate through the body cavity to the vitals. Therefore, the following chart displays the appropriate levels of kinetic energy for different sized game species:
| Kinetic Energy: | You Can Hunt: |
|---|---|
| < 25 ft-lbs | Small Game (groundhog, rabbit, wild turkey) |
| 25-41 ft-lbs | Medium Game (Antelope, Whitetail deer) |
| 42-65 ft-lbs | Large Game (black bear, wild boar, elk) |
| > 65 ft-lbs | Largest Game (Grizzly bear, Cape buffalo, Musk Ox, African elephant) |
Limbs, Riser, & Grip
The Bear Cruzer features a very lightweight, machined aluminum, riser that puts me in mind of PSE’s award winning riser design combined with a Realtree X-TRA Green camouflage pattern for ease of concealment but, it is also available in several other colors. In addition, the riser features a slim, comfortable, target-style, grip that is designed to eliminate torque for improved accuracy and, it also features high-precision limb pockets that serve to enhance the bow’s accuracy. Plus, rather than incorporating the radical new parallel limb design used by Mathews and some other manufacturers, the Curzer features Bear’s Max-preload, quad, limbs to deliver a smooth, vibration free, release.
Value for the Money
In my opinion, the Bear Cruzer is one of the best values on the market today! In fact, if you were to purchase all of the Trophy Ridge accessories that are included with this bow separately, you would spend one third or more of the MSRP of this bow! Thus, not only are getting a very well designed and well made bow, you are also getting an accessory package from one of the top manufacturers that far exceeds the expectations for a bow in this price range.
The Bear Cruzer Compound Bow Review – Summary
Thanks for reading our Bear Cruzer compound bow review. Out of all of the compound bows Bear makes, the Cruzer is one of their prettiest in my opinion. However, given the choice, I do with that they would make the same bow with an axle-to-axle length that is two inches longer and give it a set of more radical cams to boost the speed a bit. However, I would certainly not feel slighted by owning this bow as is since it nicely fills a niche a small hunting bow. See Cabela's current price and customer reviews on the Bear Archery Cruzer if you’re interested.
