Dan Quillian

[Lady Frost]

I attended the event last weekend honoring this man, and before I went I wanted to know about him, because I had never heard of him...

What a pioneer.  He was instrumental in building many clubs. He was involved with the Boy Scouts.  He had his own business specializing in archery products and also had an indoor range.  He took many trophies and hunted in many places.  He put the first tree stand on the market and popularized tree stand hunting.  He was instrumental in getting us here in GA our first statewide bowhunting season.  I was also told that he helped start the Traditional Bowhunters of GA.  

What a life he lived. And it was influenced by his father.
I loved reading about him.  Really cool.

[Sam McMichael]

Dan was a nice guy. I bought my first longbow from him and visited his shop several times. Actually, when I first got my bow, he did not have his shop open, and he was working out of his house in Athens. He was laid back and a bit country sounding but was still very direct in his speech. Yet he was down to earth and easy to talk to. Dan knew a lot about hunting and wildlife in general as well as archery. I didn't know him well, but I liked him. He was certainly a leader in our sport.

[JRY309]

That was were I shot my first real traditional bow other then the fiberglass bows from when I was younger.I was down in GA visiting my brother and we drove over to his Archery Tradition's shop in Athens.We shot some bows and I bought a Canebrake recurve,that was back in the late 90's.Been hooked on traditional bows ever since.

[M60gunner]

He also wrote articles for various publications. I still have some I cut out and saved. His passing was a great loss to archery.

[LBR]

Mr. Dan was a walking archery encyclopedia...very interesting to talk to, but if you disagree with one of his opinions your best bet was to walk off into the woods, find the biggest oak around, and beat your head against it--it would be less frustrating!  lol  He was entertaining to say the least, and did tons for the sport.

[Neely1911]

I never met him but spoke to him on the phone when I ordered my Canebrake, which was so many years ago I don't like to think about it!

He was a really good guy to deal with and what a fantastic bow the Canebrake is!  

It is beautiful, super fast, very smooth and quiet.  I'm not sure what else you could want in a bow?

[MnFn]

I talked to him a couple of times when I got back into trad gear.  I bought one longbow from him and enjoyed just talking about shooting longbows, FF string, and hunting in general.  A great guy.

[NEB]

Add me to the list of guys that were introduced to Trad by Quillian. A true legend in our sport.

[Lady Frost]

Thanks everyone, if there is anyone else who met or knew him I would like to hear more stories.

[Meathook 1]

When I lived in Georgia I taught a 4H class and a Bow hunter education course in Newnan. I would go in and visit Dan when ever I was close to his shop. We always talked ways of getting more kids into archery and the future of archery. There is some great info on here in the Legends and Pioneers about Dan. Someone will come along and bring up some great stories, if I remember right one especially about a snake and his foot. I miss talking to him.I still own a Canebrake Recurve.

           Good Luck Lady Frost

[DannyBows]

There's some info on him in the Legends and Pioneers forum. Don Stokes knew him well.

[TGbow]

I miss Mr Dan. He did a lot for archery,
Great gentleman.

[Phillip Fields]

I met and spent some time with him at a 3d shoot in NC.

[reddogge]

Here is a Dan Quillian tree stand from the mid 60s from his shop. Only 13"x11" it was sort of a death trap but I survived it.

 

[Lady Frost]

Thanks everyone,very cool

[michaelschwister]

Dan was the only person I ever met that was personally taught by Howard Hill.  I first met him in the early 90s at the SE archery shoot near Augusta GA.  He was gruff and rough around the edges. I had about 20 years experience at the time and kept badgering him with questions.  BY the middle 90s he finally would sit down and tell me stories. One time at the GLLI in Michigan (96?) we sat in lawn chairs by his truck and he talked for about 7 hours. I learned more about archery and shooting the bow for hunting that day than I had in the 20 some years of hunting and shooting up to that date.  He had diabetes and had a wound on his foot that would not heal.  He booked a kodiak bear hunt and when the guide saw his rotten foot he refused to take Dan out.  Dan went out by himself and shot a giant kodiak bear at like 10 yards( I think he was 73 then).  The next year I was at GLLI and had been looking for him, I saw him walking across the field like he was brand new (he limped with the bad foot). I said "Dan, I see your foot finally healed", he said "nope", and raised his pant to expose his "new" leg, "I made it from a used car spring".  Typical Dan, nothing could faze him. I did not have the opportunity to see him again after that, but I think he lived well into his mid 80s.  He was making simple wood bows and selling them on the auction site almost to his death. A true great and truly thankful to have had the chance to listen to him.  He hated wood arrows and light draw bows.  He loved fiberglass arrows but shot heavy AL due to no good glass arrows, big snuffers, and 70# plus bows with a pull through release. I can tell you his methods are still big medicine for hunting.

[yaderehey]

Originally posted by reddogge:
Here is a Dan Quillian tree stand from the mid 60s from his shop. Only 13"x11" it was sort of a death trap but I survived it.

   

And I thought I was fortunate to survive 10 years hunting out of a Baker climbing tree stand!  Yikes!

[michaelschwister]

At that SE archery shoot he had set the course.  Lots of 3D targets strung up on cables with surgical tube used as a slingshot spring.  One shooter in the group would draw the target back and release it on "go".  Hitting them was quite tough, but if you could get good at it running deer become a cakewalk.  He also had a mountain goat target at the top of a bluff with only a small gap between rocks exposed for the vitals, straight up and 30 some yards. If you missed you would hit a rock or launch into South Carolina somewhere.  Some folks complained, but Dan would only give them grief, and that they should practice more at these types of shots. Seems Dan had no trouble whatsoever with the,.  He had an old business pamphlet that was full of Howard Hill quotes.  He was thrown off the other trad site because he would not back down from the "Rockhead Experts" there, most who could not even begin to comprehend what he was trying to teach them. I try to carry forward his flame of knowledge, with the same results.

[Medicare Bhtr]

In 1966 while on a hunt at Bulls Island, SC l saw my first commercial deer stand....a Dan Quillian. All my hunter friends were either standing on a limb or building permanent tree stands.  Seeing Dans design gave us ideas to build our own portable stands. Changed the way we hunted since 1966.  Thanks Dan!