Shelf or rest with hunting recurve?

[Ghost23]

Looks like the majority shoot off the shelf. I posted this on AT and Tradtalk and got a lot more people saying they prefer a rest. I ended up buying a nap plunger rest and giving it a try on my exe scream riser.

[dklug]

I shoot off of the shelf using velcro, but I first glue a thick piece of leather to the shelf. This raises the arrow shelf slightly. The reason for this is in the summer shooting off just the velcro would work just fine but come November in Northern Wisconsin when I'm wearing a wool mitten over a wool glove the thickness of the two lifts my arrow shaft off of the rest. Of course, this changes your point of impact. The thickness of leather under the velcro raises the arrow shaft just enough so the mitten/glove combo has clearance. My point of impact remains constant, summer or winter.

[McDave]

Another reason for gluing a thick piece of leather to the shelf is that sometimes the bow will not tune with just a piece of Velcro or something similar on the shelf.  I have had this happen at times with bows that have a threaded hole for an elevated rest, like my Satori, but not with bows with no mounting hole.  I suspect that some bows were designed to be shot with an elevated rest, while other bows were designed to be shot off the shelf.  Some, but not all of the bows that I suspect were designed to be shot off an elevated rest have a persistent nock high, and the only way I have found to get rid of it is to build up the rest to where it is closer to the height of the mounting hole.

[Rob DiStefano]

As a shelf shooter, I want a riser with both radius for shelf and plate.  I'll almost always use loop Velcro for the shelf and Teflon tape for the plate, and put a ridge in both with a piece of wood or wire for the arrow contact points.

[BAK]

always shelf.

[Stykbowslim]

I shoot off a modified Bear Weather rest on all my Schafer's and Tall Tine bows. I shot off the shelve for years, but one day a solid 150 class buck was coming in head-on and closing the distance. When he got within 15 yards, the buck suddenly changed directions, so I shifted in my stand and brought the bow in close to maneuver my arrow tip around a tree. When I moved my feather fletching came in contact with my clothing and the buck busted me. After that day, I switched to vanes and starting shooting off a rest. I can shoot very effectively shooting off the shelve or a rest.

[Lefty]

I was always and off the shelf guy for recurves or longbows for the most part.  I do have one metal riser longbow that I have an elevated rest on (Super T-300 Hunter).  This year I picked up a ILF riser and recurve limbs and after trying several rests and off the shelf, I decided on the springy rest.  What convinced me was tuneability, durability, quietness, and cost.  The springy rest is cheap, simple and VERY forgiving.  It was also very easy to silence.  I hunted with it this year in all types of weather without issue.

[MnFn]

Two things I didn’t mention:
I shoot my longbow off the shelf.
I cut the rest about in half thereby lowering the “flipper” to just above the shelf.

[MnFn]

And I apparently shoot my bow upside down.😖

[Blackstick]

I really don't have a preference. I shoot each depending on how the particular bow is currently set-up. That said, the majority of my hunting bows are set to shoot off the shelf.

[Brockett]

I shoot off the shelf also. I prefer a hair rest with a piece of leather or toothpick underneath.

[Archie]

Rest.  I have always shot a rest on my recurve.  When I went from shelf to rest on my longbow, my accuracy (consistency) and arrow flight increased dramatically.  I didn't notice any negative effect of having the arrow a half inch (or so) above the the shelf (and my hand).  My release is such that my arrow always bounces off the shelf no matter where the nock point is, and the use of a rest provides the necessary clearance.   Also, I've had the same plastic rest on my recurve for over 15 years.  I've never had a rest fall off or get ripped off.