The History of Great Northern Bow Co.

Great Northern Bow Co. was born in the summer of 1982 from a shared passion for traditional bowhunting and a commitment to building exceptional hunting bows. Jerry and Rick came together almost by accident, with no grand plan beyond crafting bows that felt right in the hand and performed in the field. But once the first few bows were built, it quickly became clear that they had found a new purpose.

In those early days, there were no instructional videos, how-to books, or online resources to guide the process. Every lesson was learned through hands-on experience, trial and error, and countless hours of refinement. Out of that process came a distinctive style of bow—sleek, simple, functional, and purpose-built for serious hunters. That commitment to craftsmanship, performance, and clean design has made Great Northern one of the most respected names in traditional archery.

From the beginning, every Great Northern bow has been handcrafted one at a time. Core woods are cut, milled, and air-dried in-house, and laminations are custom ground for each bow using only premium materials. Customers can choose from a wide variety of woods, from traditional favorites such as Osage, Hickory, and Elm to exotic veneers paired with bamboo cores. While wood selection gives each bow its own character and beauty, performance is rooted first and foremost in sound bow design—and Great Northern has always placed design at the center of everything we build.

Each bow is carefully laid up using high-quality epoxies and adhesives, then heat-cured and slowly cooled to ensure strength, stability, and long-term durability. From that bow blank, every finished longbow or recurve is shaped by hand to meet the customer’s specifications. Final finishing is done with a tough, flexible epoxy coating available in either a flat hunter finish or gloss. The result is a finish that stands up to the demands of hard use in the field while resisting chipping, cracking, and weather-related wear.

Great Northern’s innovation has never stopped with bows alone. Jerry and Rick also developed the Jack Knife series of folding bows—one of the most unique hinged bow designs ever offered to traditional archers. To complement those bows, Great Northern created the Professional Bow Quiver, designed for hunters who value quick arrow access, convenience, and dependable performance in the field.

After more than 35 years of building custom bows and hunting equipment, Jerry retired and passed the business on to his oldest son, Bob Brumm, who had already owned and operated Great Northern Quiver Company for several years. Under Bob’s leadership, the bow business continued to grow during the resurgence of traditional archery, bringing Great Northern to a new generation of bowhunters.

In 2020, Great Northern Bow Co. entered its next chapter when we purchased the bow business from Bob. Today, Great Northern Bow Co. operates independently from Great Northern Quiver Company, which is owned and operated by Eric McKee. While the businesses are now separate, the mission remains the same: to build high-performance traditional bows with the craftsmanship, quality, and field-proven design that have defined Great Northern for more than four decades.

We have proudly owned and operated Great Northern Bow Co. since 2020, and we remain committed to preserving its legacy while continuing to build exceptional traditional bows for archers and hunters who value quality, performance, and craftsmanship.

Eric & Melissa Reitsma

Take your bow and a quiver full of arrows, and go out into the open country to hunt some wild game for me.  Genesis 27:3