Bear Alaskan Pro Overview

Bear made the Alaskan Pro with one thing in mind: be the best mid price bow on the market…

And they might have nailed

In this article the Alaskan Pro’s specs, its pros & cons and finally who this bow is a good fit for, so buckle up!

Alaskan Pro Specs

Draw length - 25.5” - 30.5”

Draw weight - 45–60 lbs. or 55–70 lbs.

Speed: 339 FPS

Axle to Axle: 33”

Brace Height: 6.25”

Let off: 80% or 85%

Pros of the Alaskan Pro

The Alaskan Pro falls in the Mid-Price or intermediate bow range, so we’re talking bows under $1,000.

Not a true beginner bow, but also now a flagship bow that's $1,400 for the bare bow.

And this is really where Bear Archery puts most of its focus.

Value

As a Mid-Price bow, the Alaskan Pro performs well above its class!

To me this bow is exactly what your every day hunter needs…

It more than gets the job done, while also not making you go bankrupt in the process.

We’ll cover how it compares to other Mid-Price bows later, but it’s hard to beat

For the price, an advertised speed of 339 is CRAZY!

To put that into perspective there are flagship bows on the market right now that cost up to 3 times as much that go 3 FPS faster than that….

The performance you get out of this bow is unmatched!

Speed

This bow is fast!

It clocks in at 339 FPS on its advertised speed, which is wild for its price point!

I know I mentioned this earlier, but it can’t be stressed enough how impressive that is at the price point you can grab this bow.

This high speed is a big part of why this bow is so popular this year

Inline Mounts

Inline mounts have gained popularity on flagship bows in recent years as a way to keep the weight of your accessories more centered.

This helps minimize the need for a back stabilizer to balance the bow out.

Adding these to a Mid-Price bow is a big jump for Bear and it speaks to their commitment to building bows for the everyday hunter!

For your bow sight, there’s a picatinny rail on the front of the riser.

And for you arrow rest they put in an integrated mounting system

Both of these are big jumps for a Mid-Price bow.

Adjustability

Most archers don’t have a bow press lying around to make adjustments to their bows, so to have a bow like the Alaskan Pro that lets you make adjustments without a press is great!

Now, I’m not saying you can change EVERYTHING on your bow without a press…

But there are a good amount of adjustments you can make to help tune your bow without having to drive down to the bow shop.

Cons of the Alaskan Pro

Limited Draw Lengths

One odd thing about the Alaskan Pro is its draw lengths

Normally for a 33” bow you end up being able to shoot with longer draw lengths…

But the Alaskan Pro bucks that trend.

Its draw lengths only go out to 30.5” which is about the same as a lot of shorter bows.

This isn’t the end of the world since most archers have draw lengths under 30”, but it’s worth noting for the long draw archers.

If you need something longer, another good option from Bear is the Adapt 2 HP or the Paradigm

How the Bear Alaskan Pro Compares to Competitors

Bear Alaskan Pro vs Adapt 2 HP

Adapt 2 HP Specs:

​Draw Length: 27" - 32"

Draw Weight: 45-60lbs, 55-70lbs

Speed: 330 FPS

Axle-to-Axle: 31”

Brace Height: 6.5”

Let off: 80%

This is an interesting comparison in the Bear lineup and these are 2 of the most talked about bows on the market.

They have the same draw weight options and very similar brace heights

One thing that’s interesting is the Adapt 2 HP is a shorter bow, but has an extra 1.5” of draw length, making it a better fit for long draw archers.

But the Alaskan Pro wins the speed category.

Even though they’re in the same price range, the Adapt 2 seems to fit in between beginner bow and Mid-Price bow…

With the Alaskan Pro being squarely in the Mid-Price bow category

Bear Alaskan Pro vs Mathews Lift

Lift Specs:

​Draw Length: 26" - 31.5"

Draw Weight: 55, 60, 65, 70, 75 & 80

Speed: 343 FPS

Axle-to-Axle: 33”

Brace Height: 6.5”

Let off: 80% or 85%

I know a lot of people want to see this comparison, but it’s a tough comparison to make because these bows are in such different categories

The Mathews Lift is a flagship bow, coming in around $1,430 for the bare bow…

On the other hand, the Alaskan Pro as a Mid-Price bow is $660 bare bow or $760 Ready-To-Hunt.

They have similar specs: same let off, almost the same brace height, within an inch on draw lengths and same overall bow length

The Lift can get 10 more pounds of draw weight, but that’s not what most archers are shooting.

So if they’re that similar, why is the Lift twice as much?

It really comes down to the intangibles.

The Lift is going to be smoother, quieter and have less vibration in hand than the Alaskan Pro.

Which if you’re a target archer or are out there hunting non stop all year, might be worth it for you!

But the overwhelming majority of archers will get everything they need out of the Alaskan Pro for half the price.

Now I get it…

If you’re a gear junkie and just like having the best bow every year and want to shoot a flagship bow go for it (Although the Lift already got replaced by the Mathews ARC)

Bear Alaskan Pro vs Hoyt Enduro

Hoyt Enduro Specs:

Draw Length: 24"-30"

Draw Weight: 35-50lbs, 45-60lbs, 55-70lbs

Speed: 328 FPS

Axle-to-Axle: 30”

Brace Height: 7”

Let off: 80%

This is going to be the best comparison on this list!

The Enduro is Hoyt’s Mid-Price bow, so this is actually comparing apples to apples for the most part.

Of the differences, the biggest is that the Alaskan Pro is a longer bow by 3 inches.

If you’re planning on hunting out a blind or small tree stand this could make a difference for you, but for the most part you’ll be fine even with the longer bow.

Longer bows tend to be more stable which can help when shooting longer distances, but if you have good form, this difference shouldn’t be earth shattering

From there, the Alaskan Pro is a little faster at 339 FPS vs the 328 FPS out of the Enduro…

A big part of that is going to come from the difference in brace height.

The Enduro has a 7” brace height and the Alaskan Pro has a 6.25” brace height

So what does that actually mean for you?

In general, that makes the Enduro a little more forgiving to shoot and the Alaskan Pro a little bit faster.

There’s not really a right or wrong here, it’s really going to come down to personal preference on this point.

What does make a bit of a difference is that the Enduro retails for about $100 more than the Alaskan Pro.

That won’t matter to everyone, but I want you to be able to consider it.

Both of these bows are available in a ready to hunt package or as a bare bow.

Because these are both really good bows, this might just come down to which brand your local bow shop carries honestly.

For my personal preferences, I would go with the Alaskan Pro because I want the stability of the longer bow

Bear Alaskan Pro vs Bear Paradigm

Paradigm Specs:

Draw Length: 27" - 32"

Draw Weight: 45-60lbs, 55-70lbs

Speed: 333 FPS

Axle-to-Axle: 33”

Brace Height: 6.5”

Let off: 80%

Overall the Paradigm is very similar to the Alaskan Pro with 1 main distinction…

It has higher draw lengths!

The Paradigm can go all of the way out to 32” of draw length instead of the 30.5” that the Alaskan Pro has.

Other than that they are almost identical in their general specs.

The Alaskan Pro is a few FPS faster on arrow speed, but not a significant amount.

Let off is another difference, you have 2 let off options with the Alaskan Pro and only 1 for the Paradigm

So if you don’t need the extra draw length, just stick with the Alaskan Pro.

Bear Alaskan Pro vs Bear Legit Maxx

Legit Maxx Specs:

Draw length: 14"–30"

Draw weight: 10–70 lbs.

Speed: 315 FPS

Axle to Axle: 30”

Brace Height: 6.25”

Let off: 75%

These two bows really aren’t in the same category to compare head to head, but we’ll do it anyway.

For the Legit Maxx, it’s really intended more as a beginner bow in the “grow with you” style where someone can get it for a teen and they can keep using the same bow as they grow

That’s why it has such a wide range of draw lengths and draw weights.

Because of that, it is slower than the Alaskan Pro by a good amount

With it being more of a beginner bow, the Legit Maxx is also about $200 less expensive than the Alaskan Pro.

At the end of the day, performance wise the Alaskan Pro is the better bow in the Mid-Price range.

The only time I see the Legit Maxx is a better fit is for someone who is brand new to archery because it has a lower price point and has a wider range of adjustments that can be made.

Who Should Buy the Alaskan Pro?

The Alaskan Pro is the perfect fit for a bowhunter, ideally with a little bit of archery experience, that wants a lot of bang for their buck and doesn’t just want to grab the cheapest bow on the rack.

It’s not for the gear junkie that has to break the bank to have the top of the line, flagship bow every single year

This is a workhorse bow designed for intermediate archers that want something fast and reliable without having to take out a second mortgage to buy it.

Now that’s not to say that beginners can’t use this bow…

But with its shorter brace height and high speed, it’s a little less forgiving than most beginner bows, which makes the learning curve a little bit steeper.

If you’re a beginner that’s committed to learning archery and plan on sticking with archery no matter what for at least a few years, then jump right in to the Alaskan Pro

Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Alaskan Pro

Upgrade your rest

If you get the Alaskan Pro as a Ready-To-Hunt kit, it’s going to come with a whisker biscuit arrow rest on it.

This isn’t the worst thing in the world, but it is the bare minimum performance wise.

Once you’re used to your bow, if you want to get better performance out of your bow overall upgrade this.

Moving to a drop away rest is going to give you a little more speed/power because it has less friction on the arrow when you shoot

Drop away arrow rests vary in price, with some of the ones for target archers crossing into the $200 range…

But you can get a more basic one for much less than that.

QAD is a one of the best brands for drop away rests and their entry level rest the Ultrarest Hunter comes in around $70.

So making this upgrade doesn’t have to break the bank

Upgrade your stabilizer

Depending on how far you shoot, this may or may not be worth your time.

If you’re only shooting 30 yards and in, this probably isn’t going to make too much of a difference for you…

But for everyone who regularly shoots further than that, this is important

The stabilizer that comes on the Alaskan Pro is very basic and is really there more for noise & vibration dampening than stability.

Not to say those aren’t important, but if you are regularly shooting out towards 50 yards, you’ll get a lot out of a better stabilizer.

Stabilizers come in all shapes and sizes and the one that’ll work best for you really depends on your hunting style and your preferences.

There’s some people that used to shoot target archery and want to have a 15 inch stabilizer hanging off the front of their bow even when they’re in a blind…

For them, they can notice the extra half inch of tighter groups that gives them and it’s worth the hassle of maneuvering that thing around

That’s overkill for most hunters

Most stabilizers in the 8” to 12” range will be more than stable enough for the average hunter without being too bulky to move around.

This is another upgrade that doesn’t have to break the bank, but it’s worth it when that buck of a lifetime steps out.

TUNE YOUR ARROWS

This is hands down the most overlooked part of a bow set up.

Your arrows are literally what you’re sending through the air, wouldn’t it make sense to make them fly as straight as possible?

For most guys, the archery shop slaps together their basic go to arrow set up and sends them out the door…

Then people are confused when, no matter how much they adjust & tune their bow, they can’t seem to get consistent arrow flight.

For bowhunters this is even more important because not tuning your arrows also limits arrow penetration on target.

This is even more true if you don’t pay attention to your FOC.

I won’t bore you with the step by step instructions on arrow tuning here, but if you’re going to take archery seriously, just do yourself a favor & set aside the 2 or 3 hours to learn and tune your arrows.

Trust me, you’ll thank me later!

Work on your form

I know this seems too easy, but you’d be surprised what you see at the archery range!

There’s plenty of people who have inconsistent groups just because they have bad form.

Unfortunately, no matter how good a bow is, it isn’t going to make up for bad form.

If you plan on bowhunting for a few more years, just take the few hours to improve your form now and you can enjoy better shooting for the rest of your life.