Bear Resurgence Review

Editors' review

Bear built the Resurgence to answer one question: how much hunting bow can a complete ready-to-hunt package hold for under $650? The answer is a lot. This is not a stripped entry rig with a token sight bolted on - it arrives with a full Trophy Ridge kit and, under it, a 335 fps IBO rating (the industry-standard chronograph number measured at a fixed 30-inch, 70-pound, 350-grain setup) that reads closer to a flagship than a value bow. Launched for 2022 and carried through 2023, it runs Bear's then-new DHC Hybrid Cam and the KillerWave in-limb dampeners that showed up across the lineup that year. It is a 32-inch axle-to-axle bow (the distance between the cam axles, a forgiving mid-length for hunting) with a 6.25-inch brace height, and it weighs under four pounds bare. What makes it worth a look years after its two-season run is the math: near-flagship speed, machined aluminum hardware, and a genuine back-wall tuning choice, all wrapped in a kit you can shoot the day it arrives.

Finish

The Resurgence gave 2023 buyers four looks spread across patterned and solid tastes. Veil Whitetail is the premium pattern - a high-contrast woodland camo built to break up the human outline in mixed timber. TrueTimber Strata and Mossy Oak Country DNA cover the traditional camo hunters, each a muted all-around pattern that hides well from a treestand. Shadow is the blacked-out solid, a matte all-black finish that pairs with any accessory color and shrugs off the scuffs of a season banging around a stand. Earlier 2022 stock also carried Mossy Oak DNA variants, so used examples turn up in a wider range of camo than the 2023 catalog alone suggests. The soft-coat finish is the same durable treatment Bear runs across its hunting line, and on a bow meant to be knocked around in the field that toughness matters more than shine.

Riser

The Resurgence rides on a machined aluminum riser with clean cutouts and, more importantly, machined aluminum limb pockets - a detail that stands out because most bows at this price step down to composite pockets. Mounting is traditional rather than the dovetail-and-rail systems of pricier rigs: double rest bolt holes and a Berger-style stabilizer bushing, so any conventional drop-away rest or threaded sight goes straight on, and the RTH Whisker Biscuit V and sight are already fitted. The double rest holes lock the rest so it will not pivot if the bow gets jostled in transit. A single string stop hangs off the back to catch energy before it rings through the handle. In my experience the thing you notice drawing it is how settled the riser stays after the shot - the energy dies into the dampeners rather than buzzing up into the grip - and the 32-inch geometry keeps the string angle open and comfortable at full draw.

Grip

Bear fits the Resurgence with its slim machined grip, a narrow rounded-edge profile built into the riser rather than a fat over-molded rubber handle. It sits low in the palm and encourages a repeatable, low-torque hand position - exactly what a hunter wants when the whole season might come down to a single shot. A narrow grip like this is easier to index the same way arrow after arrow than a bulky one, and shooters who put a lot of arrows through the bow consistently find the hand position comfortable and easy to repeat. There is nothing to unbolt here since the grip is part of the riser, so a shooter who wants a warmer surface on a frozen morning can slip an aftermarket grip over it with no fitment fuss. It is a simple, no-nonsense interface that gets out of the way of the shot.

Limbs

The Resurgence uses split limbs seated in those machined aluminum pockets, and the draw-weight plan is genuinely generous for the tier. Rather than one narrow band, Bear offers two 15-pound modules - 45 to 60 pounds and 55 to 70 pounds - so a shooter can set a light, form-building weight or a full 70-pound hunting pull from the same bow, where a 10-pound window is the norm in this bracket. That spread means a lighter-framed or younger shooter can start soft and climb into full weight later without buying new limbs. The KillerWave dampeners nest between the split limbs and do much of the work keeping the shot quiet, while the aluminum pockets give the limb bases a rugged, rock-solid seat instead of the flex some composite pockets allow. It is the same limb-and-pocket architecture Bear leaned on across its value hunters for exactly that durability.

Eccentric System

At the heart of the Resurgence is Bear's DHC Hybrid Cam, the redesigned-for-2022 hybrid that runs a fixed 80 percent let-off (let-off being how far the holding weight drops at full draw - here you hold about 14 pounds of a 70-pound peak). The headline is speed: the 335 fps IBO rating is quick for a value hunter, and it is not a paper number. On a chronograph the bow put up 291 fps with a 400-grain arrow at 70 pounds and a 29-inch draw - a realistic hunting setup, and genuinely fast for a bow in this bracket, right in the range where it packs plenty of punch for big game. Draw length adjusts from 25.5 to 31 inches, wide enough to fit most of a household, and the hybrid geometry lets a lighter-pulling shooter draw a higher peak weight than they expect. The quietly clever feature is the back-wall system: the bottom limb stop can be left off for a softer cable-stop valley or bolted in for a firm, repeatable wall, a tuning choice bows at this price rarely hand you.

Draw Cycle/Shootability

Drawing the Resurgence is where the DHC earns its keep. The pull is fairly smooth front to back - a mild build toward peak and then a clean rollover into the valley, without the grabby snap older single cams were known for. How the wall feels is up to you: leave the limb stop off and the back wall is a touch spongy with a more forgiving valley; bolt it in and the wall turns firm and solid, which is how I would set it for a deliberate, back-tension shot. The shot itself reads a hair over 98 decibels on a hunting arrow - not flagship-silent, but right in line with other mainline bows on the same meter, and the KillerWave dampeners plus the string stop keep it from being harsh. With a stabilizer mounted the hand shock all but disappears and the bow settles quickly. Between the smooth pull, the manageable noise, and the forgiving 32-inch geometry, it is an easy bow to shoot well from the first arrow, and the complete RTH kit means you are grouping, not shopping for parts, on day one.

Usage Scenarios

The Resurgence is a whitetail and general big-game hunter first. Set at 400 grains and 60 to 70 pounds it carries plenty of energy for deer, hogs and black bear at normal treestand and ground-blind ranges, and the 335 IBO speed gives a flatter trajectory than most value rigs for the slightly longer shot from a blind. The 32-inch axle-to-axle length keeps it forgiving while staying manageable from a saddle or a crouch. Because it ships ready to hunt, it fits the buyer on a timeline: walk out of the shop Saturday, sight it in Sunday, and be in a stand by opening week without sourcing a sight, rest, or quiver. It doubles as a summer 3D and backyard bow - set the limb stop for the firm wall and it rewards a deliberate shot process on the range. And the two draw-weight modules make it a one-bow-grows-with-you buy for a shooter still building toward full hunting weight. What it is not is a dedicated long-range speed weapon; a shooter chasing the flattest possible trajectory past 60 yards will want a two-cam flagship, and that is a fit question, not a flaw.

Versions

The Resurgence was sold as a single ready-to-hunt (RTH) package at a $629.99 launch MSRP, with the buyer's choices being draw-weight module, finish, and hand:- Draw-weight modules - 45-60 pounds or 55-70 pounds, each with 15 pounds of adjustment, chosen at purchase.- Finishes - Veil Whitetail, TrueTimber Strata, Mossy Oak Country DNA, and Shadow (solid black), in both hands.- RTH kit - Trophy Ridge 4-pin sight, Whisker Biscuit V arrow rest, 5-arrow quiver, stabilizer, peep sight and D-loop, all fitted.The bow shoots identically regardless of module or color - the differences are the weight band and the look. Buyers who want the same DHC Hybrid platform as a bow-only purchase can look at Bear's Alaskan from the same era, and longer-draw shooters who need past 31 inches should look at the single-cam Resurgence LD, which stretches to a 32-inch draw.

Bear Resurgence vs Diamond Edge 320, PSE Stinger MAX

Bow	Bear Resurgence	Diamond Edge 320	PSE Stinger MAX
Version	2023 RTH	2022	2021
Picture
Brace Height	6.25 "	7.25 "	7 "
AtA Length	32 "	32 "	30 "
Draw Length	25.5 " - 31 "	15 " - 31 "	21.5 " - 30 "
Draw Weight	45 lbs - 70 lbs	7 lbs - 70 lbs	45 lbs - 70 lbs
IBO Speed	335 fps	320 fps	304 fps - 312 fps
Weight	3.9 lbs	3.6 lbs	3.8 lbs
Let-Off	80%	85%	80%
Where to buy Best prices online	$350 to $664.89 Compare prices	$175 to $795 Compare prices	$199.95 to $650 Compare prices
	compare more bows

At $629.99 ready-to-hunt the Resurgence sits just above two of the most cross-shopped value packages, and the decision comes down to what a buyer values. The Diamond Edge 320 ($549 launch RTH) is the grow-with-you champion - its draw weight bottoms out at 7 pounds and its draw length shrinks to 15 inches, so it fits a small child where the Resurgence's floor is a 45-pound, 25.5-inch adult-and-teen setup; the trade is a slower 320 fps IBO and a taller brace that gives up a little speed for forgiveness. The PSE Stinger MAX (around $500s at launch RTH) is the other budget do-all, a tall-brace, easy-shooting bow aimed at the same first-real-bow buyer, but it is tuned for adjustability over outright speed and lacks the Resurgence's machined aluminum pockets and dual back-wall choice. Against both, the Resurgence's edge is speed and hardware - a 335 IBO rating that chronographs 291 fps on a hunting arrow, aluminum limb pockets, and a genuine limb-stop-versus-cable-stop wall. The decision comes down to priorities: the Diamond Edge 320 for a family that needs the widest possible child-to-adult range, the PSE Stinger MAX for the lowest entry price, and the Resurgence for the buyer who wants the fastest, best-equipped complete package of the three.

Summary

The Bear Resurgence is a lot of ready-to-hunt bow for its $629.99 launch price, and it holds up well as a used or closeout buy years after its 2022-2023 run. It pairs a 335 fps IBO rating - a real 291 fps on a 400-grain hunting arrow - with a draw that rolls over smoothly, a shot that reads a hair over 98 decibels and goes nearly dead in the hand with a stabilizer, and a back-wall system, cable stop or limb stop, that hands the shooter a tuning choice the price class rarely includes. Add machined aluminum limb pockets where composite is the norm, two 15-pound draw-weight modules, a 25.5 to 31 inch draw span, and a full Trophy Ridge kit in the box, and you have a bow that fits a whole household and takes any North American big game at honest hunting range the day it arrives. What I keep coming back to is how complete it is: near-flagship speed and real hardware in a package you shoot, not assemble. It is an excellent bow for the value-minded whitetail hunter who wants to be hunting this weekend, particularly strong as a fast, fully-kitted treestand rig. Buyers who need the widest child-to-adult adjustability should also look at the Diamond Edge 320, and those chasing the lowest entry price at the PSE Stinger MAX.