Trad Gang
Legends and Pioneers => Dan Quillian => Topic started by: joebuck on February 20, 2007, 12:16:00 PM
-
Mr. Quillian left us today finally to go to a better hunting ground free from pain. I knew him personally like a few of us on this board. I disagreed with him sometimes, listened sometimes and just stood back and watched most of the time at a lost art. Dan Quillian was a man. He would call a spade a spade. He practically single handily got Ga a bow season. I know some of you will have some things to say about Dan but as a bowhunter he did something that takes just damn nerves. He shot a brown bear at 10 yards, by himself ( guide had left briefly) with a ganggreen foot. No way to run, no gun. Nothing. Just Dan.......I have a close friend who use to have the world record brown bear..he says he's still in awe of Dan and that bear. Big Dan...THANKS..you were BOWHUNTER...
-
He will be missed.
-
Godspeed Dan, I know you are sitting at the campfire of the great ones... :campfire: :)
BD
-
I did not know him but have heard of his bows. My prayers for him and his family.
Bill
-
Rest easy, Big Dan :pray:
-
That's very, very sad news....prayers for DD and all the rest of Dan's surviving family and friends. Any news of services Joe, I sure would like to send them something to pay my respects.
-
Peace and condolences
-
I knew him and he will truly be missed in tracitional circles.
-
I spoke to Dan once by phone, about what else Archery and bowhunting...one of the Good guys ...he will be missed always remembered..mark#78...I will always remember the picture of him and that trophy Bear!
-
I agree with all above. Thanks for all you did Dan!
-
He helped me find some superceder arrows once-didn't really need to; but he was just that kind of guy.
Bigger than life for sure.
Condolences to his family.
-
God Bless
-
He played a huge role in the resurrgence of traditional archery in the late 20th centrury. my prayers to his family and may he rest in peace.
Anyone got a picture of him?///
-
One of the voices for longbows at a time when not many voices were being heard on the subject. I use to read his column in the old "Western Bowhunter" rag when traditional bowhunters that wrote anything were fairly few and hard to find. Thanks Dan, for the knowledge and commitment.
-
Dan inspired me to leave the Compound world. I had one of his Patriot bows. One of the Good guys. He will be missed. Thanks Dan... Jeff
-
Rest easy in the Big Sky brother! :pray:
-
http://www.danquillian.com/
Godspeed...
-
I met Dan a couple of times, the one that I remember most was at the Howard Hill shoot in Alabama where we had a "discussion" about how deep in your fingers you should hold the string when drawing. You are right in that he was set in his ways, stubborn even. Could even be crude at times, but you knew where he stood. Most guys that walk their own path have that same demeanor.
Bet that big campfire above is a little livelier tonight with Dan sitting in the circle.
Godspeed Mr Quillian, and keep a "DEEP" hook.
-
I never know what to say at times like this....
-
Prayers go out to his family and friends. I know he will be missed. Never met him, but heard a lot about him and all of it was good. He is in a better place for sure.
-
ferret, you bring back some fond memories for me. Dan gave me the most important archery lesson ever. "If your arrow is not pointing towards the bullseye, it want hit it"
-
I never met Dan, but I've been around DD a good bit. I'm pretty sure that acorn didn't fall from the tree and Dan must have been one heck of a guy. I know he'll be missed. My prayers will be with the family and friends he's left behind for streets of gold.
-
Most folks have no idea what Dan has done for bowhunting. We were at a 4-H meeting where Wayne Pacell (PETA) was speaking. Dan stood and asked him what his salary was. He ignored him. He stayed standing and kept asking until security made him leave. His examples where easy to follow cause he was right.
they thru me out about 10 minutes later :-)
He also convinced me to switch from a recurve to a longbow after watching me shoot. That was 1990 or so. Bye Dan.
-
I'd written to inquire after his health last week. He had my complete and absolute respect.
Here's to you, Dan. Well done.
-
Biggie and I just hung up telling ole Dan stories. One of my favorite Dan stories was in the early 90's at the Atlanta Buckerama ( Redneckarama) ole Dan had a booth with his full mounted bear in it, basically showing everyone what a longbow could take down. He was a hit. After the show ...get this now... he strapped that huge bear on the back of his Winnebago using hitch haul for the base. Off he went on I-285 in Atlanta on a Sunday afternoon deep in Atlanta church traffic. My buddy Trigger and me were following him to make sure he didn't have any trouble. People were either driving up yelling at him or waving at him. We laughed so hard we almost wet our pants. i asked him later did the granola crunchers get on his nerves that day yelling at him. he said " Nope, he knew his power sterring was a little loose and he was swerving some." !!!!!! I loved it..
-
(http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/nakohe/untitled.jpg)
Here is a pic of him and the bear.
-
May He RIP
-
That's a shame. He had a great influence on a lot of archers...Van
-
A friend and hunting partner of Dan taught me to shoot the longbow at age 8. Got to hear a few stories.......he will be missed.
Prayers go out to all of Dan's friends and family.
-
My first longbow was a Bamboo longhunter. I had several conversations with Dan while I had that bow. I bought it used but he said I coould call anytime....and I did a few times. BTW....I shoot with a deep hook.
-
Dan started the Ga Traditional Bowhunters in mid 80's. He was a one man show trying to get his archery business off the ground ( later on that) and raising a large family not to mention trying to form an unheard of bowhunting org in a state that barely had a season. Well his archery org concept was two new then and the new club folded. About 3 years later Biggie gets a call from Dan he had something to give him for the newly formed Traditional Bowhunters of Ga. Dan's old club had $1000 some odd dollars left over which no one knew but him. Dan donated that money to the new TBG which we in turn were able to buy our first targets to have shoots to raise money. Dan planted the seed money unselfishly. TBG every Blue Moon year or so gives a Dan Quillian award. The award is self expanatory. TBG is aproaching it's 16th year.
-
Joe, any word on the services...I've lost DD's # or would call direct. I'd like to send them something.
-
Met Dan at an ASA shoot in Valdosta Ga. one time. He had a booth there and all of the compound shooters were passing him by. I walked up with my Black Widow in hand and it was like I'd run into an old friend. Prayers to his friends and family. Rest easy my friend.
God Bless. ~Rick
-
Adios.
-
Nothing yet Joe, they are still getting family together. DD's sister in law will call me asap.I'll pass on. Most that knew Dan knew about his diabetes and how he fought that. hell i think he won. it didn't kill him! Dan use to give himself shock treatments in the foot with a police taser to jump start circulation..oh heck another story...But probably a donation to the diabetes foundation may be great way to remember him.
-
Thanks Joe, please pass it on when you hear.
I have fond memories of Mr. Quillian and the "old bowling alley", and of course tip my hat to him every year when my sportsman's license includes bowhunting...we simply wouldn't have a seperate season here in GA without him.
-
Good by Dan,
Thank you,for all you've done for Traditional archery.
-
Yep, Dan overcame a lot of serious health issues to keep on keeping on. He had a bout with Lyme disease back when nobody knew what it was, had heart troubles, lost limbs to diabetes, hardly slowed down. i used to work the archery trade show with Dan and have a lot of memories of those trips---I'll never forget the time we were driving to Louisville and somewhere around Dunlap, TN he started looking around in the floor of the van.....
-
Great Spirt.....A hunter comes to you as swift and straight as an arrow shot into the sun.....Welcome him to his place at the Eternal Hunter's Campfire.....
-
Dan also laid the foundation to what is the IBO rules for Traditional Longbow Class. It's been tweaked some but it was all Dan for years. He let the Old ASA (Valdosta) have it for not conforming. Remember a man named Wayne Pearson? Dan also went to Africa 25 years ago before practically anyone and bowhunted. He was shooting 160 gr snuffers when they were REAL snuffers.
-
My prayers go out to his family.
Robert
-
He'll be missed that's for sure. Used to love to read his posts back in the day.
-
I sent an arrow for his quiver. Someday, when I'll finaly meet him, around the big camp fire in the sky, we'll know each other by that arrow.
God Bless!
-
PEACE!! Shawn
-
I met Dan while attending the University of Georgia in 1970-72. He was the real deal.
-
I think about the story that Monty wrote some years back in Traditional Bowhunter... I know Dan is walking up from the shadows into the light of that campfire, Longhunter in hand... God bless you Dan!
-
Thank you for everything Dan. Prayers for his family.<><
-
Thanks Dan for all that you did for traditional archery and for all that you did for those of us who share your love of the stick and string. Rest in peace DQ.
-
The first time I went to the Longbow Championship in Alabama in 1980 most of the people were shooting aluminum arrows out of their Longbows. Myself and a few other Michigan boys convinced Jerry Hill that the shoot should require wood arrows. The next year everyone had to shoot wood arrows at the shoot.
That year was the first time I met Dan. He showed up with a clip board talking to everyone and writing down their name and address on his board. He also was telling them they should be shooting aluminum arrows because they were better than wood. He was on a one man campaign to bring back aluminum arrows.
He and I went nose to nose as I told him how hard we had talked to get the wood arrow rule. You could call Dan a stubborn man but that would probably be an understatement :D
The last time I saw him we hadn't seen each other for a long time and he said to me. "Ron, you're sure gettin old". I said back to him, "You ain't no spring chicken yourself Dan"
He was very outspoken and a hard fighter for what he thought was right. He was one of a kind, a real Character. He will be missed :(
-
I was at Dan's shop in Athens the day he left for his alaskan bear hunt. He showed me proper form for shooting my recurve. I was also at Dan's shop the day his mounted bear was delivered that he had taken on the alaskan trip. He asked me and my friend if we would help unload it from the truck. There is nowhere else I would have rather been that day.
-
Godspeed-I did'nt know Dan,from what I've read here he must have been a great person.
-
I have Longhunter 6128, 59# at 68", which I purchased many years ago. Sold a S&W .357 Mag to buy it. Had some questions about shooting it, so called Dan on the phone...he treated me as if I had purchased 100 bows from him, not just one. A mans man, for sure. Followed his career even to the "kits" he was selling on **** right up until the end. BTW, I still shoot the Longhunter more than any other of my 'custom' bows. Great to see all of the testimonials and memories...
Steve in Maine
-
Prayer for Dan and his family! :pray:
-
Dan and I spoke numerous times when we both wrote columns for Western Bowhunter. A dedicated bowhunter who fought for all the right stuff.
A leader in his home state and a very generous, giving person. When I was dealing his bows here he was always calling with advice and readily took my opinions on his bows. He will be missed by many but hopefully now he's in peace, probably
looking down on us right now holding his Longhunter, quiver full of arrows and that scruffy ol smile. Take care Dan...we'll me again.
-
I spoke to Dan several times over the phone back in the late 80's early 90's. He was always willing to talk and help. I still have my Gull longbow which was my first Christmas present from my wife of 18 years. I will always cherish it. I took my first wild hog with it. He will be missed. CKruse
-
Never knew the man, but always saw his bows on the auction site...great price to start people out on a great adventure to trad shooting!
Rest easy Dan, and Thanks!!
-
He was one of the first traditionalists I encountered ~ God bless him.
-
Just a pic of Dad and Dan. Some might enjoy. Dan's in the shorts :)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/VanTX/Dads%20Archery%20Friends/DadDanQ2.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/VanTX/Archery%20Competition/WingShootDad.gif)
-
oops I double posted. Sorry...Van
-
And another I found. Dan on the left, Dad in the middle. Not sure who is on the right....Van
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/VanTX/Dads%20Archery%20Friends/DadDanQ1.jpg)
1987
-
The gentleman on the right in Van's photo is SYLVESTER SHAW, a great guy who promoted archery hard in the 1980's. I had the honor of hunting with Dan in the early '90's at BENT CREEK LODGE in Alabama. It was just after the Brown Bear hunt. The stories were amazing. I love the old stories on here of Dan. They are just as I remember him. Don Wilson
-
If there isn't already space, I think Dan needs a little space in the history section of this site. We lost another of our important ancestors.
We all need to be able to read about our past, recent and not so recent and remember these gentlemen for what they were and who they were. Chronicling our history and remembering is very important for our future.
I didn't know Dan personally, never even talked to him, but I wish now that I did. Like many of us, I know him from pictures and stories and articles and would recognize his face anywhere.
He and his kind will surely be missed.
ChuckC
-
I did not know him, and I barely knew OF him, but he sounds like a fine patron of the sport, and I am sorry for his passing...
-
Thanks DW. I'll mark the photo accordingly for future reference :wavey: ...Van
-
God speed Dan! Prayers for the family. That big camp fire in Heaven just keeps getting better....Terry
-
I've known Dan since the 1960's. Bought my first "nice bow" from him at his home. It was a "Cheeta Special". Traded it back to him a few years ago for one of his "Canebrakes". I like the Canebrake and will keep it to remember him by. I was a boy then and he was very willing to help me with any questions I had. He was an inspiration to me, a great guy, a great boone to archery in Georgia, and apparently someone who "touched" a lot of us along the way.
Dan, Thanks for the memories and may you stalk well in the Happy Hunting Ground. Bill
-
Only dealt with him once. Most definately a stand up guy!!
-
Never met him; but I shoot an Archery Traditions Bamboo Longhunter- and it has led me on many successful trips; and thousands of arrows have been launched from it.
It has a new meaning now.
Thank-you Dan. Hope I get to meet you in the light.....
-
Shoot my first deer with traditional gear using a canebrake recurve. Great bow. Dan you will be missed. Prayers sent out to all of the family.
-
I bought some stuff from him on the 'bay back in '99 before I got back into trad archery... didn't have a clue who he was then either, but he was extremely helpful and patient dealing with all my questions. I spoke with him a number of times over the next 6 years as I started shooting and hunting more.
He did more for this sport than most people realize.
-
Sad news.Prayers sent.
-
I always admired Dan's marketing zest. Ron LacClair nailed a side of Dan when he talks about Dan and his arrow experience. Dan loved bowhunting,talking it and walking it but man ole man he had a passion promoting it and his product at the time. Most people thought Dan was in the back of the shop gluing up Longhunters, he probably could but that would take time away from his love, talking shop with his customers. he farmed out the Longhunter,Canebrake,gull and others to a handful of manufactures mainly I believe the Jefferys and Martin Archery but he dang sure had his wishes in the design. Furthermore you didn't try to trip him up with fancy physics equations on force curves because man that rascal knew it. Stop for a moment and think about all the new longbows in the past 10 years with carbon, light tips, inlays, this bell and whistle, flimsy limbs, hinged handles,etc. Now think about jumping off a bush plane for 1 year in Alaska, no contact with man or anything and you can only have one bow.....Give me the some black glass and red elm...the Longhunter!!!!!! As tough as the man that designed it.
-
One of the things that makes traditional archery great are wonderful characters like Mr. Quillian. I never met him...I'm not sure if he posted here, but I seem to remember him posting on the LW years ago. I always admire outspoken folks, folks with opinions. He seemed like one of them to me.
Godspeed, old-timer, you will be missed and remembered.
-
My condolences to the family.
-
sorry, had a call then got off on a tangent, just got back. Anyway, right after that we stopped for gas and Dan was going through all the stuff in the van (that old egg-shaped Toyota, which reminds me of another story) and when we started back up the road, i asked him what he was looking for. In a very matter-of-fact tone he said he was looking for his rattlesnake (i think it was a Canebrake named Baby). I got pretty excited, took my foot off the gas pedal and up into the seat with me and coasted to a stop. Dan thought that was pretty funny and then I figured he was just pulling my leg so off we went again. I didn't even think about it anymore until we were unloading our stuff at the show venue and Dan happily announced he had found the snake ! :scared:
Dan was a pioneer in many ways, he was one of the first to market an RD longbow (now the norm more than the exception) and fought hard with many who said it wasn't a longbow and at least one state organization outlawed his Longhunter from their competitions. He was one of, if not the, first to use modern string materials on stick bows (again, something that is now considered the norm)and waged a campaign for it's use to improve trad bow performance. His Longhunter (in DD's and John Hood's able hands) successfully competed against and won national competitions against FITA type recurves complete with sights, stabilizers, etc. His treestands, the Deerhunters Dream and later the Fox Squirrel (still one of my go-to stands) were some of the very first succesfully marketed teestands in what has become a giant industry unto itself.
I could go on and on but just bore you because some of the stories would only mean something to me or to a few others---like the time right after they'd amputated his leg and he hailed me from the other end of an aisle at the Bowhunting Trade Show. He hobbled quickly over to me, pulled up his pants leg and said "How do you like my new limb ?" When i looked down, he indeed had a new limb---a laminated bow limb had been put in the place of the lower half of his leg. i was so flabbergasted I was speechless (unusual situation for me) and Dan thought that was hilarious.
Yeah, i'm gonna miss Dan a lot. No other individual except my own father has had such a profound effect on the man that i am today.
And i'm jealous, too, of where he sits today, of the other faces lighted by that fire, of the stories to be told and relived, of the spirits of great animals called back to that campfire to live again. i'll never be worthy to join that circle but i'm praying they'll let me stoke the fire for 'em.
-
My prayers to the family and can't wait to shoot another round with him in heaven; see you Mr Dan and thank you for everything;
-
Hey Joel, I remember that story but someone else told me it happen to them!?. I guess Ole Dan must have played that trick seldom. He needed a snake to control the mice in that Astro Van!
-
DD just called....he said Big Dan fought a good fight. Brought a welling up in my chest........
Arrangements are not confirmed yet but he thinks Friday night for visitation and Saturday for graveside.
Will keep all posted.
-
He lived in my county, and I'd spoken with him about a year ago. Apparently he had suffered a series of strokes.
Dan was Dan, he lived life like most of us would like to live it. He contributed greatly to archery. He and I did not always agree, but those petty (and sometimes heated) disagreements matter little now.
RIP, Dan.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
I have heard his Name mentioned a time or 2, can I ask How Old Dan was? If he was in Pain, he is in a MUCH Better Place Now. God Bless him and His Family.
-
Some years ago, Dan lost a foot to diabetes. He tried a prosthetic foot, but was dissatisfied with it. So he rigged up a a recurve bow limb and used that for a foot substitute. He never lost his good humor.
He was one of a kind, had an Airstream trailer that he took on business trips that he kept rattlesnakes in (one got loose once, and stayed loose for a while.)
I think Dan's primary role was in promoting traditional archery. And he was very good at promoting it and in my opinion, was instrumental in creating a market for recurves and longbows after the compound bow pretty well wiped out the recurve/longbow market. I know he did around here, and as someone else mentioned, he was one of the prime movers in getting a bow season started in Georgia.
When he lived in Athens and ran his business out of his house, shopping direct was an adventure! He had stuff stowed away everywhere, and some especially collectable bows. One made by Buchanan, and another lovely flat bow of yew, can't remember who made it but it was fantastic.
It might take him a while, but if he had an uncommon something you wanted (and he almost always did) he'd eventually find it. I bought a feather burner, he had to go to the loft to find it. "I know I got one, it's around here somewhere."
Both his son, DD, and his daughter, Dr. Kay Quillian Carr, live in Oconee county. I think there may be another older sibling whom I've not met.
So far, the paper has not release arrangements.
-
Thanks for posting all these remembrances, I am learning about a man whom I have never met. His name has danced around my periphery for many years, but our circles never met. From what I have learned so far, it will forever be my loss.
Joel, your writings I found especially touching. Thank you for showing me a wide range of the man's character. Ingenuity, humor, practicality, loyalty, tenacity, generosity... a treasure has moved from our sphere and left us some high blazes on the trail.
Killdeer :campfire:
-
Monty Browning asked me to post this for him since he says he is computer neglected (he hates them)...... he states " I first saw Dan Quillian in 1969-70 at an archery shoot near Rock Hill SC. Dan was talking to a group of archers about bowhunting, archery, tackle and sorts. I was a young man and I didn't know anything,Dan was the first guy I could understand the explanation of things. Later as I grew older and had many visits with him at local shoots and functions I realized Dan was one of the very few people that understood bowhunting and archery and how they really worked together and sometimes against each other. He understood the place each component( bowhunting, field archery,equipment, local archery clubs, etc.) contributed to this sport. He saw the whole picture. Dan was a strong person who I respected greatly."
-
I think the year was 1994, I had taken my soon to be wife Caren up to Athens to a few art shops. I chose not to go to the art shops and go to this archery Traditons place I heard about.
I walked in there and opened up my case and pulled out this cam bow I'd been shooting for years. Noticed this older gent sitting in a chair, he smiled, I smiled although I did not know who he was.
I shot the range for about an hour, shoot then adjust sights, shoot some more and tinker some more.
When I was finished, all packed up, this older gent still sitting in the chair asks if I'd ever shot a longbow. I told him I had many years ago but that was then and this, pointing at the cam bow was now.
He bet me that if I shot his longbow, he would have me hitting inside a pie plate in 15 minutes. I said, okay as my soon to be wife had not arrived yet.
My soon to be wife arrived, LATE! So for 30 minutes I got a one on one private longbow shooting lesson from Dan himself that day. I was hitting in the pie plate when I left.
That was the last time I ever shot that cam bow. I traded it for a longbow.
I grew up reading about Fred Bear, Ben Pearson, watching Fred Bear on tv specials. I later realized who Dan was and to this day, I am proud to say that I got a one on one longbow lesson from him and he converted me.
Thanks Dan.
Frank V. Rago
-
These are great stories about Dan. He touched a lot of people. Keep them coming.
-
I've owned a Patriot, and just today bought a used Longhunter. Rest in Peace, friend. Or better yet, don't rest in peace, RAISE H*** in that land where you are. Teach the harp players how to restring their harps into recurves and longbows :)
Dave in Ft. Collins, CO
-
I'm very sorry to hear of Dan's passing.
My condolences to his family.
I have one of Dan's Patriot recurve bows that is 57# and love it.
-
I never got to meet Dan face to face but I talked to him several times over the phone. The first time was years ago when he was still running Archery Traditions and I called his shop from work one day. I was shooting a recurve then and called about possibly finding some turkey fletching already ready to use. I was surprised at how quickly he warmed up and just wanted to talk trad archery with me. We talked for almost an hour. I was very impressed to say the least and really enjoyed talking with him. It seemed like I'd known him for a long time.He sent me some info, and since we had been talking about Mr. Hill, he also sent a pic of he and Howard on a little hunting trip he had been on with him.
I later picked up the longbow for good because of the influence of Howard, and also a man I actually got to talk a lot with, Dan Quillian. I bought one of his bamboo longhunters a few years ago used and talked with him about that bow. He always had time to talk archery! There's no doubt he stuck to his opinions as some have already mentioned, but he found the things that worked for him, and that was that. I am very saddened by his passing and very glad to have gotten to know just a tiny part of what he was about. May God comfort his family in these days and I know all of our prayers are with them.
-
......"Get a good, deep grip"
and then he'd pucker up and shoot
-
In 91 I was on my way home to get married from Ft. Benning GA. I had read somewhere about Dan's archery shop and decided to check it out. I was a die hard compund shooter then, competing well with an Oregon Deschutes I had purchased from a great shop owner in Wapakaneta OH. Dan worked with me for about 15 minutes (promising the pie plate thing and prounounced I was ready to hunt!) and sold me my first longbow (the red elm model #1hundered and something) and what started as a little side trip is now my 15th or 16th year carrying nothing but a longbow. I still have the bow but not the wife!!
Rest easy Dan, we'll catch up soon enough
-
Sorry to hear of his passing.
I purchased one of his U-Finish bows last year. Talked with him on the phone concerning brace height and what finish he recommended. That longbow was the first one I owned that was in a hunting weight.
I felt that today would be a good day to take that bow out and do some stump shooting, then launch one in memory of Dan.
God speed Dan. You'll be missed by many.
(http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Shovelbuck/Archery/Forum%20pics/Quilianlaunchpost.jpg?t=1172167472)
-
I met Dan a couple of times, bought one of his Canebreak recurves from Archery Traditions when I first started in traditional archery.
I would say a person lived a good full life when they have touched this many people.
Prayers said for the family.
Mike
-
Dan had a real nice funeral Saturday, buried in Oconee Hill cemetary (right over behind Sanford Stadium) on a hill with a great view, bout the highest spot around. He probably picked that spot himself---right under an oak that drops a lot of acorns, still a bunch on the ground....happy hunting Dan.
-
I called Dan when I was looking for a kit bow for my son. We talked probably 20 minutes that day and his recommendation was to buy a kit from another bowyer.
He was friendly,helpful and all anyone could ask of an Ambassador.
Dan is one reason that my two boys are shooting with me.
I didn't know who he was the day I called him, I didn't know for a year or so after that either. But, I do know something about the man I spoke with that day, and the world is a dimmer place for his passing.
Rest Well, Mr. Quillian. Best to the Family.
-
Once Dan was asked about the speed of his longbow - compared to a compound. "I can get an arrow into a deer faster than a compound guy, so I guess mine's faster" he quipped HA! Dan had a way to cut straight to the point.
I use to talk quite a bit with Dan when he did the Bowhunting Trade Shows in Louisville many years ago. "Get a good grip on it" was what Dan once told me about my hand position on the string. Been doing that ever since Dan!
-
Condolences to his Family , I am the proud owner of several of his bows and and happy to have had a few short phone conversations with him . Fred
-
Shot with him years ago - the man was a gentleman in my books. He took time to help and teach others even when he was strapped for time. dan you still are one of the great ones in my book. Will see you sooner than I want! Good bye and happy hunting in our archers' paradise in the sky...my friend.
-
I have one of his patriot bows,its been a goodun.
I was gonna sell it.Might hold off on that that now.
I have a question...would it have been made by him personally
here it is (http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c290/djjeffa/IMG_2821_1.jpg)
RIP Dan
-
Sorry to hear of his passing. He will be sorely missed. Down to earth, and would take time out to talk with a new trad hunter! Thanks, Mr. Dan!!!
-
Like so many of us I started out bowhunting as a kid with traditional gear (Bear Grizzly) and was mistakenly lured to and swithed to the compound bow. After several years of hunting with the compound I picked up one of his longbows but just couldn't seem to get back a trditional shooting form. After finding out that Dan had his telephone number posted on **** and was offering his assistance to anyone that wished to call him, I gave him a call one night. That telephone call turned out to be just the first of several calls to him for help and advice. The man was a complete gentleman who just couldn't help me enough. Today because of his willingness to assist me I have returned to hunting only with traditional gear and I am shooting better than ever before. As I have told you many times before, "THANK YOU DAN", you will forever be missed!!!!!!!!!!!
-
my first longbow was also a longhunter it was a great bow to transition from a recurve.DAN had a very easy video to watch and learn from a life well lived
-
He convinced me that a 68" longbow was what I needed and I have never looked back.
-
I haven't been looking on this site for a while, so I was shocked and saddened by the news of Dan's passing. Dan was a big influence on me in the late 80's when I first started in traditional archery. I bought one of the first Patriot recurves made and began shooting local tournaments. I have a closet full of trophies from tournaments where I shot that bow. Later, I ended up with about 14 bows of various kinds and would always go back to the Patriot when the chips were down. I was using that bow when I killed a Caribou on the hunt where I met my wife, so the bow has special sentimental value to me. My wife even has a soft spot for the bow! Several years ago I traded for a Longhunter and enjoy shooting it also. I'll never forget the excitement I enjoyed being in his shop and shooting his bows. My brother bought the canebrake that he brought to show everyone at the first Traditional Bowhunters of GA rendezvous in Sylvania, GA. One of my first dealings with Dan was when I spotted a couple of Archery Traditions bows hanging in a Pawn shop in Palmetto,GA. I knew the value of the bows, but I hoped the shop owner didn't. I got both bows for $150. A 65# Traveln Hunter, and a Howard Hill style bamboo longbow,57#. I couldn't pull the heavy bow, and I couldn't shoot the longbow well, so I called Dan to see about trading. The Pawn shop owner had told me that the owner of the bows had to hock them cuz he had a drug problem. Mrs Quillian informed me that the fella had paid for the bows with a forged check off his father's account! So I had two hot bows! Dan graciously allowed me to keep one of the bows. I kept the longbow, but eventually traded it since I never learned to shoot it. I have many more stories, but I'll save them for another campfire. I'm real happy Dan was honored a few years ago by TBG for his lifetime of achievement. I had tears when he was given a standing ovation. He deserved it. My heart goes out to the family during this difficult time.
-
Another " Great one has left us ". May you watch over us and guide our arrows true.
My prayers go out to the family.
God Bless.
-
I am saddened to hear of his passing. I bought a tab form him recently and it does accommodate the DEEP HOOK. He was a straight shooter in all respects and his kind is getting rarer in this world.
I further saddened by the fact that he had to go through so much from diabetes. Peripheral Artery Disease or PAD is insidious and painful as it advances; this is what caused the lower limb circulation problems that Dan experienced. Get a screening test for this if you are diabetic or have other risk factors like advanced age or smoking. The test is called an Ankle Brachial Index or ABI and is like have a fancy blood pressure test done - easy and cheap. If anyone has questions about this they can check out several websites or send me a PM and I'll answer as much as I can.
May DQ rest in peace.
DD66
-
I met Dan at Jerry Hill's shoot in 1993 in Wilsonville, AL, he was undoubtedly one of the most unforgettable men that I've ever met. He helped young archers on the practice range and was always ready with a comment about the history of archery. He spent some time with our group around the campfire and was kind enough to sign an arrow for me, along with the rest of our shooting group. This arrow is one of my prized possessions. Truly a giant among men, rest in peace Dan.
-
I had no idea he had passed away....my condolences to his friends and family
-
Never met him, but I talked to him on the phone a few times and bought some of those old leftover glass arrows he offered a few years back. I've still got a few of them. He was always very helpful. Via con Dios, Dan.
-
I met him the first time at the Louisville trade
show,we were staying in the same hotel and met
before the show started.
The first morning of the show, Dan starts making waves about having a new recurve,the Cane Break,
that was faster than any compound in the place
pound for pound.
The more people that crowded around Dan's booth,
the louder he got, after what seemed forever,
Screaming eagles archery takes the challenge.
The closer we get to the chrono area the louder
Dan talks, we wind up with a bigger crowd than the room can handle.
A pro shooter from Martin archery is chosen to shoot both bows,the Compound shot 237 fps, now
this was fast for the early 80's, Dan's Cane break came thru at 240 fps, the crowd was stunned,the guys from Screaming Eagle made the comment at least we have let off.
I still have a signed Bamboo longhunter , and a
Cane break recurve, I will asways remember the big, Gruff,and not too politically correct, true
giant among archers.
-
I too have a canebreak and it is deadly acurate. pointable and FAST!!A favorite bow of all my other bows.
David
-
Wow, that is the first I heard of it. I bought some arrows off of him once. He was the real deal. Trad archery lost a good one.
-
I am stunned and saddened to hear this news of a truely great and gentle man. I bought one of his bamboo backed/ipe longbows a year or so ago and the day it arrived I began a month long almost daily conversation about building my first bow, granted it was mostly made when I got it, but this man never tired of my questions and offered much more then simply a how to on finishing my bow but grew to Dan sharing his love of archery and his many years of experience in an ancient sport. My last conversation with him was a personal invite to vist him at his home. I will meet him one day and I bet my last arrow that he has a range set up and ready for the rest of us on a prime streatch of heavens real estate.
Bill
-
I heard of Dan's passing but just found this thread.
My conversion to trad was heavily influenced by Dan, around the end of 1999, I was trying to find info on longbows online and found him, of all places, on eee-bay.
I posted a question to the seller and received a simple "call me ###-###-####". I did, and spoke to him a few times before purchasing one of his bows.
The bow came with his home phone number for questions and I used it a number of times until he finally got me going in the right direction. He sent me his getting started video for free.
I kinda regret getting rid of that bow, except for the fact that it went to another fellow who was just getting into trad archery.
Dan
-
This is my first post on this site. I just signed up as I'm getting back into traditional archery after a several year absence. And will have some questions in other areas of the site as I get my gear up to speed.
I knew of Dan's passing, but am surprised and pleased to see such a wonderful tribute to him here. He deserves it.
I had the pleasure of meeting Dan on a few occasions, the most memorable in his shop in Athens when I was interviewing him for Traditional Bowhunter magazine. I wrote the article "An Interview with Dan Quillian", soon after he returned from his Grizzly Bear hunt in Alaska. The article was published in the April/May 1994 issue of Traditional Bowhunter.
David Harper
I don't know if anyone cares, but below is the introduction to that article from 1994 that I wrote. As a tribute to him...
===============================================
His eyes burn with a fire that says, “You don’t want to be my enemy.” The discussion has turned to anti-hunters and what they are trying to do to his sport. The man that only a few moments before had been quietly explaining the importance of arrow spine and joking with customers was now stern and deathly serious. This man definitely has two sides.
Meet Dan Quillian, the owner and operator of Archery Traditions in Athens, Georgia. Involved in archery for over 40 years, Mr. Quillian has accomplished many things in the world of bowhunting. He was a key player in getting the first archery season approved for a southern state and he has been involved in defending that archery season on more than one occasion. Dan was there to help start the Georgia Bowhunters Association and he was one of the front runners in the revival of traditional archery. He recently bagged a record book grizzly bear from the ground with his longbow, and the list goes on.
Dan loves his sport of bowhunting. He is a happy man to see the smile across an archer’s face after releasing an arrow from one of his bows. He also loves to teach. It seems as though every question asked of him in this interview ended in a lesson on archery instruction, equipment selection or hunting know how.
Many traditional archers and bowyers possess these qualities. In the world of traditional archery, this is normal—countless bowyers will talk for hours about archery, or give instruction to anyone who will ask. Dan is no different in that respect. The quality that separates Dan Quillian from so many is his drive to fight for what he believes in. It’s not enough to just want an archery season, to just wish the anti-hunters would change their views, to just hope no controversial subjects will arise to be bothered with.
Dan takes an active role. He plays the politics necessary to get a bow season in place. He writes articles and letters and attends meetings to battle those that would take away his sport. He sidesteps no issue that will make bowhunting a better sport. People like him have made our sport what it is today and people like him will continue to protect it. He is one of the few individuals who contributes to our sport on every level.
================================================
Happy hunting Dan Quillian.
-
I met Dan way back in 1990. I saw his name listed in a Traditional Bowhunter magazine and called him to ask about an old bow I'd found. He and DD had just got back from Africa. DD showed me a piece of back bone with a broadhead enbedded in it from his 90# longhunter longbow. I bought one of his red elm longhunters and still have it and shoot it. I used to show up at the shop every week to shoot with the guys there. I remember when I was coaching the 4H archery team, Dan not only gave us one night a week we could gather for practise,free of charge, but he cut the parents deals on all the equipment their kids needed to compete. Then, to boot, he had two young men working for him that were top competitors themselves and they pitched in to help coach. One of my shooters actually went on to capture the state championship that first year thanks to Dan and George Ryals. He also let us hold NBEF classes there in the shop too. I'll never forget those days or Dan.
I'm a richer man for having known you.
God Bless you DD and family...
-
I met Dan in sometime around 1984-1985 at the Atlanta Buckerama. I thought he was one of the neatest fellas around. Especially since their wasnt much trad archery gear around then. I later ran into him in Elberton Georgia at the Southeastern Championship somewhere around 1999-2000. He was always involved with archery. He will be missed.
John
-
Nice article about Dan in latest edition of TBH.
I bought one of his "finish it yourself" longbows a hear or so ago and talked to him about it over the phone. He laughed when I asked him if it was center shot and said it wasn't necessary.
-
Been thinking a lot about Dan lately, as I prepared my leftover inventory from the Superceder adventure for selling. I've had about 200 dozen stored away since the business closed.
I met Dan in 1988 after a house fire destroyed all of my archery equipment (along with everything else). I had been shooting a compound for about 10 years, which I never really liked, and had decided on a take-down recurve that I saw in one of Dan's ads. I found that Dan wasn't too far away, so I drove up to his house to look at his recurve. He was still working from his home then, and what a sight! He had a pile, literally, of longbows and recurves in the middle of the living room floor, from which he commenced to pull out a Longhunter for me to try. We went out beside his house, and I was hooked.
Dan found out I knew something about wood, and began to talk to me about the need for a new arrow wood, which would be stronger than the POC that dominated the market, that would be strong enough for modern laminated high-poundage bows. Again I was hooked, and a couple of years later marketed the Superceder shafts. Dan was my mentor as well as sales manager, even though I had been shooting for 30 years before I met him. He taught me more about archery in the first year than I'd been able to figure out for myself in all that time. My life was totally changed, for the better, from the first day I met him. All those stories are true, and then some. I could go on for days, like the time my brother, who has also passed, and I went to Athens for a visit, and he invited us to stay in his Airstream. We were about to move in when he remarked offhandedly that he hadn't yet found the copperhead that had escaped in the trailer, but not to worry- copperheads aren't that aggressive.
I made several trips with Dan, and each one was a trip indeed! He refused to stay in a hotel, always traveling with his trailer. When we did the archery trade show in Indianapolis, I woke up one morning to see a snowdrift next to my bed, from the door that didn't close tightly. Nothing fazed him- he would wear the same clothes for days at shoots, never backed up from a confrontation, always had an opinion, and was nearly always right. I loved him deeply, and am greatly saddened at the world's loss. He lived and breathed archery, and knew it inside and out. He raised a fine family, too, and his wife Sue must have been a saint! She was always gracious and a lady, in spite of Dan's excesses.
I tried several times to get Dan to write an autobiography, and I still regret not trying harder. He lived life to a degree that most of us can only imagine. As a youngster he raised birds and animals, had pet owls that he would ride on his bicycle handlebars to the outskirts of town and use to call in crows, which he shot and put in the freezer to feed the owls! He knew more about snakes than any professional herpetologist, and once had the feds try to put a sting on him to catch an endangered indigo. He saw right through it. He was a king-hell mutant of the kind that only comes about once in a century, and I surely do miss him.
Don Stokes
-
Dan helped me select my 1st Longbow - and Quillian Bamboo Longhunter - and 21 years later I am still hunting with it (it is Punday). Dan took a lot of time to help me get the right bow and I will always have fond memories of the several conversations we had re: my bow and 2 dozen arrow he made for me... Dan got me started with Grizzly Broadheads too.
I will be thankful for all your help... Thanks Dan... until we meet in the Celestial Hunting Grounds - Your man in Westsylvania... Scott
-
Id love to read more stories about Dan. Does his family still make his bows? I wish I had Lefty Dan had made. Love to read more... marco#78
-
Dan's family must be a testament to what type of a guy he was - or maybe it goes the other way, but here is a glimpse of the kind of people they are -
I bought a Quillian longbow right around the time of his death. They notified me that my order was delayed due to his death until they could square things away. No problem with me, of course, I felt saddened even though I never met him.
A few weeks later the tube showed up empty - the end had been cut open and the bow was gone. Who knows where along the line that happened.
I told them about it, and we agreed on splitting the cost for another one from his remaining inventory. I sent the check, a week later I got the bow and inside the tube was my check, torn in two.
(I just now noticed this Quillian category, in case anyone was wondering why post this two years later)