Bear Ultra Light Review

Editors' review

Most lightweight hunting bows ask you to give something up: speed, draw weight, or a complete kit. The Bear Ultra Light was built to ask for as little as possible. At 3.2 pounds and 29.75 inches axle-to-axle (the distance between the two cam axles, which drives how a bow balances and maneuvers), it is one of the smallest, lightest hunting rigs Bear has ever shipped, and it arrives as a full ready-to-hunt package rather than a bare bow. It debuted in 2009 inside the TRUTH 2 family as "The TRUTH 2 Ultra Light," a scaled-down version of that platform, then carried into 2010 as a standalone model with upgraded limbs and added dampening. Its whole reason to exist is a buyer most hunting bows ignore: the short-draw shooter who still wants real hunting performance. What makes that interesting is how the Ultra Light hits 280 fps from only 50 pounds, which is the question the cam section answers.

Finish

In 2009 the Ultra Light came in Realtree APG HD, the all-purpose camo Bear used across the TRUTH 2 family that year, with a green-leaning pattern that disappears well in early-season timber. For 2010 Bear kept APG HD and added a pink camo option, a deliberate nod to the women and younger shooters who make up a large share of the short-draw audience this bow targets. The dip-applied finish covers the riser, limbs, and cam, and the hardware carries the matte, low-glare treatment typical of Bear hunting bows of the era. There is no gloss target or carbon-weave option here; the Ultra Light was only ever offered as a hunting-camo bow. Two patterns is a modest palette next to a modern flagship, but it covers the two buyers this bow was aimed at.

Riser

The riser is cast and then machined from aluminum, a proven, cost-effective approach Bear used throughout its value hunting line rather than the forged or CNC-billet risers reserved for flagships. It is short by design, the structural reason the bow lands at 29.75 inches axle-to-axle, and the cutouts are kept simple to hold mass down toward that 3.2-pound figure. Pivoting limb pockets locate the limbs with a side-locking fit for a consistent, rigid seat. The reflexed geometry positions the grip and sight window where a short-draw shooter can get behind the string comfortably without the frame feeling cramped. This is not a machined work of art, and it does not try to be; it is a light, rigid platform that keeps the finished bow cheap and easy to carry. The payoff is handling: a riser this short and this light points and re-points quickly, which matters more in a blind than bar-stock bragging rights.

Grip

The Ultra Light uses Bear's molded side-panel grip, two pieces that mount to the riser to shape a slim, medium-height hand position. The narrow profile suits smaller hands, which is consistent with the bow's short-draw, light-poundage mission, and the molded surface gives a repeatable, low-torque reference point without the bulk of a thick rubber wrap. In cold weather the composite panels stay warmer to the touch than a bare aluminum throat. Shooters who prefer a different feel can pull the panels and shoot off the bare riser, or add an aftermarket slip-on grip, since the geometry is conventional. For the beginning or transitioning archer this bow is aimed at, the stock grip is a sensible, forgiving starting point.

Limbs

Here is where the two model years actually diverge. The 2009 TRUTH 2 Ultra Light used compression-molded flat limbs, a reliable design shared across Bear's line. For 2010 Bear switched to its Max Pre-Load quad limbs, flared and already beyond parallel at rest, the same profile the 2010 flagship Attack introduced in service of what Bear called "smooth power." Beyond-parallel limbs point their tips back toward the shooter at the shot, so the two limbs' recoil tends to cancel rather than jump into the hand. Both years run split (quad) limbs seated in pivoting pockets. The 40-to-50-pound range is set by backing the limb bolts out up to ten pounds from the 50-pound peak, done with a simple Allen wrench and no press. That ceiling is modest on purpose: this is a bow tuned to deliver real speed efficiently at lighter draw weights, not to top out a 70-pound hunter.

Eccentric System

The Ultra Light runs Bear's Perimeter-Weighted Modular Single Cam, a one-cam system with the rotating mass concentrated out at the wheel's rim for smoother, more efficient rotation, riding on sealed stainless ball bearings in the 2010 build. Draw length is set by modules across most of the 22-to-28-inch range without a bow press, which is what makes this bow easy to re-fit as a young shooter grows. The headline number deserves a careful read: the 280 fps rating is measured at the bow's own ceiling of 28 inches and 50 pounds with a light 250-grain arrow, not at the 70-pound, 30-inch IBO standard most speed numbers quote (IBO being the industry's fixed-setup chronograph rating). Getting 280 fps out of only 50 pounds at a 28-inch draw is genuinely quick for the draw weight, and it is the Ultra Light's real party trick. The practical takeaway is not to line that 280 up against a 70-pound bow's IBO figure, but to recognize how much usable arrow speed the perimeter-weighted cam wrings out of a light, short-draw setup. Let-off also stepped up between years, from 70 percent in 2009 to 80 percent in 2010 (let-off being the share of peak weight the cam lets you off holding at full draw), so a 2010 bow at 50 pounds holds around 10 pounds at anchor. That extra holding comfort matters for a smaller-framed shooter settling a pin on a deer.

Draw Cycle/Shootability

Drawing the Ultra Light, the thing you notice first is simply how little bow there is: at 3.2 pounds it comes up almost weightlessly, and the short riser keeps everything close and controllable. The single cam pulls smoothly through a moderate peak and rolls into a usable valley, and in 2010 the 80-percent let-off gives a lighter, more relaxed hold than the 70-percent 2009 build. The owner experience bears out the design intent: a shooter running his 2010 Ultra Light at 28 inches and 50 pounds for hunting found it easy and enjoyable to shoot, and plenty capable with ordinary, affordable accessories hung on it. On the quiet-and-dead front, the 2010 model gained dual-arc string suppressors and axle-mounted weighted dampeners, Bear's answer to string noise and post-shot buzz, which the lighter 2009 build did without. One real-world note worth passing along: some owners have found the stock Velcro wrist sling settles differently on the hand from shot to shot, and since a loose, inconsistent grip reference costs accuracy, a steadier sling is a quick, cheap upgrade. For its class and weight, this is a forgiving, friendly bow to shoot, which is exactly what its audience needs.

Usage Scenarios

Picture a 13-year-old who has outgrown a youth bow but can't yet pull a 70-pound flagship. The Ultra Light drops in at a 24-inch draw and 45 pounds, then follows that shooter up to 28 inches and 50 pounds over a couple of seasons, all without a trip to the press. It is a natural whitetail and hog bow at practical treestand and ground-blind ranges, where 50 pounds and a fast-for-its-weight arrow carry plenty of energy inside 30 yards. Its light mass and short axle-to-axle make it easy to hold at full draw while you wait out a deer, and easy to swing in the tight quarters of a blind. The pink-camo 2010 option and the light draw weights make it a credible first real hunting bow for a woman stepping up from a beginner rig. It also works as a light, grab-and-go backup or small-game bow for an experienced hunter who wants something featherweight in the truck. Where it runs out of room is big-bodied game at long range or any shooter who needs 60 to 70 pounds: that is simply outside what a 50-pound bow is built to do.

Versions

The Ultra Light was sold as a complete ready-to-hunt package in both model years, not as a bare bow, and the hardware list stayed consistent: a Trophy Ridge Whisker Biscuit arrow rest, a Trophy Ridge four-pin fiber-optic sight, a peep, a Trophy Ridge quiver, a stabilizer and sling, and a nock loop. The meaningful split is by year rather than by SKU. The 2009 version launched as "The TRUTH 2 Ultra Light" with a 6.5-inch brace height, 70-percent let-off, and compression-molded flat limbs, in Realtree APG HD. The 2010 version, marketed simply as "Ultra Light," tightened the brace to 6 inches, raised let-off to 80 percent, moved to Max Pre-Load beyond-parallel limbs, and added dual-arc string suppressors plus axle dampeners, with pink camo joining APG HD. Bear did not publish a separate MSRP for the Ultra Light; it shipped in the brand's value ready-to-hunt tier, the same bracket as period bows like the Bear Charge (around $299 at the time), so a buyer today should treat it as a used-market value package rather than expect a documented launch price.

Bear Ultra Light vs Mission Menace, Diamond Infinite Edge Pro

Bow	Bear Ultra Light	Mission Menace	Diamond Infinite Edge Pro
Version	2010	2014	2026 Legacy
Picture
Brace Height	6 "	7.25 "	7 "
AtA Length	29.75 "	31 "	31 "
Draw Length	22 " - 28 "	17 " - 30 "	13 " - 31 "
Draw Weight	40 lbs - 50 lbs	16 lbs - 52 lbs	5 lbs - 65 lbs
IBO Speed	280 fps	fps	300 fps
Weight	3.2 lbs	2.95 lbs	3.3 lbs
Let-Off	80%	70%	80%
Where to buy Best prices online	Not available now. Please check later.	$150 to $249 Compare prices	$125 to $900 Compare prices
	compare more bows

Buyers shopping a light, short-draw, adjustable bow usually end up weighing these three. The Mission Menace, Mathews' value-brand entry from the same era, is even more adjustable than the Ultra Light, spanning roughly a 17-to-30-inch draw and 16-to-52 pounds at a feathery 2.95 pounds, but on a longer 31-inch axle-to-axle with a more forgiving 7.25-inch brace. The Diamond Infinite Edge Pro, the enduring benchmark in this category, pushes the range further still, 13 to 31 inches and 5 to 70 pounds with a 300-to-310 fps rating, making it a true one-bow-does-everything platform. The key distinction is focus: the Menace and the Infinite Edge Pro are grow-with-you platforms designed to cover a child and a full-grown adult on the same frame, while the Ultra Light is a dedicated lightweight hunting bow tuned tightly around the 22-to-28-inch, 40-to-50-pound shooter. That focus is why the Ultra Light runs a shorter, handier 29.75-inch riser and a quicker 6-inch brace, and why it feels more like a purpose-built hunting rig than a starter kit. The decision comes down to priorities: the Ultra Light for the short-draw hunter who wants the lightest, most compact dedicated hunting bow in that window, the Diamond Infinite Edge Pro for maximum adjustability and a path to 70 pounds, and the Mission Menace for the lightest, most forgiving grow-with-you frame.

Summary

The Bear Ultra Light is a focused answer to a question most hunting bows skip: how do you give a short-draw shooter a genuinely light, compact, ready-to-hunt bow without capping their performance? At 3.2 pounds and 29.75 inches, with a Perimeter-Weighted Modular Single Cam that squeezes 280 fps out of just 50 pounds at a 28-inch draw, it delivers real arrow speed in a package a smaller-framed hunter can carry and hold all day. The 2010 refinements, a 6-inch brace, 80-percent let-off, beyond-parallel Max Pre-Load limbs, and added string and axle dampening, made the better of the two years quieter and more comfortable to hold. It belonged to Bear's value ready-to-hunt tier, and on today's used market it is best viewed as an affordable complete package rather than a collector's piece. In my view its sweet spot is unmistakable: the teenager growing into hunting weights, the woman stepping up to her first real deer bow, or the experienced hunter who wants a featherweight backup. An excellent bow for short-draw and small-framed hunters, particularly strong as a light, maneuverable treestand and ground-blind rig. Buyers who want maximum grow-with-you adjustability or a path to 70 pounds should also look at the Diamond Infinite Edge Pro.