Neil Jacobson lives his work. He grew up in Northwest Montana, began hunting as early as was legal at the time, and has been hooked on bowhunting since he (as a little kid) arrowed suckers in his back yard during the big floods of 1964. Since then, Neil has successfully bowhunted whitetails, mule deer, elk, antelope, bighorn sheep, moose, caribou, black bear, bobcat and cougar. Around Neil, if you name a creek or drainage in Montana, be prepared for a bowhunting story - usually a good one!
Being a great bowhunter is one thing. Being a great bowyer is quite another. His craftsmanship comes from years as a millwright in the construction world. The aesthetic sense of an artist has always been there. What is unique about Neil Jacobson and Bear's Paw Bows is the marriage of art tempered by the practical considerations of the hunt. His bows must look great, yes, but must also perform flawlessly in the uncompromising world of the traditional big game bowhunter. A lifetime of hunting with his own equipment gives the term "field-tested" new meaning.
To do both successfully, Neil works in painstaking fashion with each customer, designing a bow with the perfect look and the perfect function for that specific person. Neil's customers become his friends. He often jokes about the number of hunters hanging around his shop -- talking bows, hunting spots and fly-fishing - and how he has to build bows in the middle of the night to get anything done!
Somehow, he finds the time to do it right, very right indeed. He lives the life that turns many hunters, well, camo-green with envy.
