# Dunarco, Dunmark, Daco?



## Jim C

daco xbows were popular with the early 2D target types because they were more accurate than many of the other bows available in the early 80s. The safety negatively impacted accuracy since you had to hold it down to shoot the bow. The DACO limbs were what Bill Troubridge used on the "RELAYER"-the first xbow made by what is now the pre eminent hunting xbow maker in the world.

You see DACOS for sale every once in a while on ebay or on the excalibur website

I don't know the other two names


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## Stash

We go way back to the '50s on this one, for some bowyers from southern Ontario.

This is a brief version, from what I was told years ago, and may not be 100% accurate since it was before I was involved in archery.

Two small bowmakers from the area just west of Toronto, Les Dunsdon and Harry Tillmark, got together to make bows and equipment under the combined name of Dunmark. Sometime in the 60s they retired and another Toronto company, Archery Craft, bought out Dunmark. It became Dunarco, then in the 70s shortened to DACO.

DACO, based just north of Toronto, made a whole lot of the best solid fiberglass camp/youth bows, plus crossbows (that's where Bill Troubridge of Excalibur started) and bought out the archery division of Outers which made the Astro Regency and other top US compounds of the late 70s, and started producing them here in Canada. For a while DACO went as "Astro-DACO". Then, in the early 80s, DACO was bought out by a Quebec company called "TOPO" which promptly folded, killing the entire line.

Our club (The Archers of Caledon) has a few Tillmark, Dunsdon and Dunmark on display. I have a nice Archery Craft wood longbow, plus a really nice recurve that has all the characteristics of a Dunmark, but does not have any logo or any markings at all on it. Great bows from the 50s and 60s, still shootable.

If your are interested, I can check with a few of the old-timers in my area and get more info for you. Let me know.


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## Jim C

Hey Stash-I thought you qualified as an old timer  

those astro bows were pretty. I remember Astro-Daco now that you mention it. I have a daco xbow-bought new on closeout in 1983 for about 75 dollars


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## subwoofer

Wow, thanks Stash. I have not been able to find out anything about them.

The ones I have are the solid fibreglass bows. They were in a cupboard at the school my brother works at and about to be thrown away. I help run a University club and we have never had any bows really suitable for the beginners. These seem much better than the fibreglass bows you can buy now. I am busy making strings for them all.

This clearout also unearthed a "Woodcraft" wooden flatbow. I have just put a new string on it and will try it out this evening. It has "US" "FB56" "34" stamped in the wood of the upper limb and has no laminations in the limbs, but does have what appears to be leather covering the entire back of the bow. You don't know anything about this do you?

I really like to know about the equipment I use and where it comes from.

I was recently given a bow that my Uncle had last used 40 years ago. A Ben Pearson Palomino made between 1961-1963. With a small repair to one limb tip and a new string, this bow is back in use and a pleasure to shoot. I couldn't find out much about it, just finding out when it was made was difficult enough.

Thanks again


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## Stash

I vaguely remember hearing the name "Woodcraft" but nothing specific comes to mind. I'll ask around.

As for Pearson, have a look at http://www.archeryarchives.com/Pearsonb.html

The rest of the site http://www.archeryarchives.com has lots of info on old recurves from some other brands.

Jim: There are still some REAL old-timers still involved in my area.  I think of my club regulars I'm #4 on the seniority list.

I remember staring at archery magazines for hours on end sometime in the mid 70s wishing I could afford a Recency. They were used to win Vegas and other shoots - beautiful at the time. Later on I did manage to get one and our club at the University of Toronto had 3, but within a few years with a 48" ATA, 10" BH and 50% dropoff round wheels they were pretty much useful only as boat anchors. I had a DACO Blazer - hanging brackets, plastic wheels, that I couldn't get anyone to give me $5 for at a garage sale.


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## Jim C

Stash said:


> I vaguely remember hearing the name "Woodcraft" but nothing specific comes to mind. I'll ask around.
> 
> As for Pearson, have a look at http://www.archeryarchives.com/Pearsonb.html
> 
> The rest of the site http://www.archeryarchives.com has lots of info on old recurves from some other brands.
> 
> Jim: There are still some REAL old-timers still involved in my area.  I think of my club regulars I'm #4 on the seniority list.
> 
> I remember staring at archery magazines for hours on end sometime in the mid 70s wishing I could afford a Recency. They were used to win Vegas and other shoots - beautiful at the time. Later on I did manage to get one and our club at the University of Toronto had 3, but within a few years with a 48" ATA, 10" BH and 50% dropoff round wheels they were pretty much useful only as boat anchors. I had a DACO Blazer - hanging brackets, plastic wheels, that I couldn't get anyone to give me $5 for at a garage sale.


The first bow I really lusted after was a white Wilson-black widow target bow I saw at Charlie Pierson's range when I was about 13 or so but the bear C handle fit me better and that's what I ended up getting. Another neat bow from that era was the original Bear Tamerlane (IIRC) target compound which basically looked like a C handle with alot of extra hardware bolted on-as a kid I had a picture of Dave Hughes with one-as I recall there was a race car or fast looking sportscar in the background


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## Threebows

Very interesting stuff there, Stash! I have an Outers Astro Blazer compound that I bought back in 1981.(the first compound bow I ever owned) Interesting to get a little background on it. I put a new string on it last year and still shoots pretty good. Well, pretty good for what it is. LOL Thanks for the info :thumbs_up


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## Stash

Just looking at an Astro on eBay - the guy calls it an "Otters" rather than Outers. Have a look: 


http://cgi.ebay.ca/OTTERS-COMPOUND-...174675566QQcategoryZ20838QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


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## Stash

And would you believe, lower down we have a Dunmark with a little bit of history in the text!

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Vintage-Wooden-D...175233843QQcategoryZ20839QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


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## Jim C

Stash said:


> Just looking at an Astro on eBay - the guy calls it an "Otters" rather than Outers. Have a look:
> 
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.ca/OTTERS-COMPOUND-...174675566QQcategoryZ20838QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem



is that a river otter bow or a heavier weight sea otter weapon?


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## Threebows

I believe my Outers Astro Blazer may be a little older than that one. Mine still has the wheels on perches, or stanchions.(not sure of the correct terminology here) and has solid glass limbs with an aluminum riser. 45-60# draw weight. I bought it new in '81 but I'm not sure when it was made. Was the last one the local pro shop sold. Package deal--Bow,six arrow quiver,four pin sight,flipper rest,glove and a dozen cedars-Half with field points and half with Bear broadheads for $169.00. :teeth:


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## archeryguyca

*Memorabilia*

Hey Stash, 
Good history lesson! Remember my basement? it's a bit better organised now, you can see most of my stuff at: http://www.archeryguy.com 

I don't buy stuff anymore, but always graciously accept such bows so the owner knows it has a good home!

Cheers

Al


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## Stash

Stash said:


> Two small bowmakers from the area just west of Toronto, Les Dunsdon and Harry Tillmark...


A correction - the second name should have been Harry Markham. I believe his bows were called "Tillmark" but I don't know the origin of that.

More research to follow...


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## Clothyard

Hi- I am a newuser to the forum , but am an old geezer in archery. My first bow was a lemonwood long bow made by Les Dunston Archery of Brantford, which my father gave me in 1948. This was whe beginning of the Daco line. The Dunston name was kept by the company in a shortened form as Dunarco and then Daco. When Harry Markham joined the company as part owner it then added his name and became Dunmark Archery. Their apex was in the sixties and seventies when bowhunting was starting to take off. All of my original group shot Daco recurves. Gary Yule became the chief boyer at their last location in Newmarket Ontario and he made bows for them that were excellent then and would be highly competetive even now. I would be interested in hearing about the ones that you have.


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## skip5515

*Astro Daco*

Stash the Astro line did not go to Montreal it was sold to Joy Valley Archery in Onalaska Wisc. and it was up dated and ran till 1994 and at that time closed down. I know that for a fact as I was involved with it starting back in 1971 when it was in Milwaukee, WI., sold to Outers Lab. in 1975 and sold to Daco in 1979.


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## IanB

As another old archery geezer, I too well remember Daco/Dunmark and still have one of the fine bows made by Gary Yule; a 3 piece Rosewood riser takedown called the Conquest T.D. bought in 1978 from Carl Doehner who owned Bowhunting Specialties in St. Jacobs, 60# @ 62" and very smooth with an excellent cast. Here are a couple of photos:


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## DanaLoo

Ian. Do you know what your Yule is worth? I have a Gary Yule and have someone interested in buying it but I have no idea what to ask. It was a gift to me and I confess my ignorance. Thanks


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