Shelf or rest with hunting recurve?

[Ghost23]

On your hunting recurves, are you using a rest or shooting off the shelf?



Pros and cons of each?



What helped you make that choice?

[Wudstix]

All my bows come with a shelf.
 

[kennym]

Mines a D/R longbow but I shoot off the shelf because I like arrow close to hand.

If I used vanes instead of feathers I'd go to a rest...

[Michpatriot]

I have a 1\8" tall bump made from cork glued to the shelf, then calf hair laid over it. Feathers are most forgiving off the shelf..but still require paradox for perfect flight..

[glenbo]

I have always shot off the shelf. I don’t have to worry about it falling off. The only exception is a feather rest on my 59 Kodiak re intro. After a few years of use I just replaced it.

[KAZ]

I’m definitely an off the shelf guy to keep the arrow close to my bow hand. I cant the bow and not always the same pending the shot opportunity & angles. Keeping it close to the hand minimizes the centerline axis variation and overall accuracy for me with three under instinctive shooting. On my 1987 Black Widow HS60 it has a flat shelf and Berger button hole to use a plunger and rest. I added a small micro furniture stick on chamfered plastic foot protector to shelf and covered shelf and riser with Sealskin raise up the arrow clearance for a flat shelf. Works great. If I shot vertical bow and gap or crawl, I’d go rest. Not for my style of shooting/hunting. Vanes would be better off rest too

[McDave]

For my hunting recurves, I definitely prefer shooting off the shelf if the bow can be tuned to shoot off the shelf without a lot of fidgety accommodations.  For example, right now I’m on a week-long hunt and I’m using my Bob Lee Ultimate with the shelf rest that came with it, a similar piece of leather for the strike plate, and a nock point of 5/8”.  I dislike having to raise the shelf or use an overly high nock point just to be able to tune to a shelf rest.  No doubt more accuracy can be obtained with an elevated rest, and more yet with a cushion plunger, but at the cost of more gadgets that can break.  Fortunately, I am spared the agony of making that decision because I can't shoot accurately enough to tell the difference.

[ed lash]

Shelf guy here. The reasons are well covered above. Every time I’ve thought of an elevated rest I end up dropping the idea because I don’t want to have anything fail when I’m hunting. Paranoia

[Ryan Rothhaar]

I've shot both, depending on the bow. Black widows I always shot off the shelf. My Jack Howard bows I feel like shoot better off a rest, I use a cut down and modified weather rest with moleskin on it.  I have to go really high nock point on the Howard's shoot off the shelf, Jack always shot off a rest and I think he built and tillered the bows to use an elevated rest. The Wing P2 I'm playing with in the late season this year I'm using the same.  For the wood ILF riser I've been hunting with the last couple years I have kind of a hybrid, about a half inch foam tapered rest glued to the shelf with moleskin over it. Not really an elevated rest, but more than a "bump" on the shelf. I use whatever is necessary to get the clearance/flight I want.

I've killed lots of game with the modified weather rest....I have zero concerns about it failing. I'd worry way more about cutting a string while hunting than having that rest fail...haven't cut a string in the woods in 38 years bowhunting either 😀

R

[Wudstix]

I usually glue a piece of sealskin on the shelf and go with it.
 

[Steelhead]

I shoot off the shelf with a rug rest.If the shelf is not radiused and or flat I use toothpick or something similar under the rug rest.I like the arrow right on top of my hand.Especially for quicker shots in hairy situations or having to shoot from unusual positions of both the bow position and your body position.

Nothing wrong with shooting off an elevated rest.Arrow flight can be very very good.Alot of guys shoot off of elevated rests.Like Paul Schafer etc.Just not for me.I have experimented with them.I have got a bow or 2 that I could not get really good arrow flight off the shelf do better weith an elevated rest.

[mnbwhtr]

My Bear T/D'S I've always used a brush rest that used to come on the Mag handles. My ASL's always shoot from shelf with wood arrows.

[trad_bowhunter1965]

I have only shot off the shelf with both Recurves and Longbows.

[MnFn]

Interesting you posted on this topic.  Since the early 1990’s I have shot off the shelf - just because of some the above responses. At some point I read about Schafer’s use of an elevated rest with vanes. So I was aware that a few guys used that method.

This year I traded for a beautiful 62” 51# Black Widow recurve. The owner said he had a weather-rest on it but would put a regular rest back on it if I wanted that. I was curious about that so I said “no, leave it as is”.

So I shot it a bit and decided I was getting better flight with it. So much so that I put a weather-rest on my Tall Tines. More constant flight with that one as well.

When the arrow is on the rest, I have not had any problem with it falling off. Your results may be different, but it just seems to work better for me.

Interestingly, when I was at RMSG a few months ago I was talking with one of the guys there about the use of a rest.  He commented that he had his hunting bow set up like this and had also set up Tom Clumm’s bow like that as well.  So with that and Shafer’s use of one, I think I’m in good company.

[M60gunner]

My R/D LB’s off the shelf. My recurves, I have one riser setup for off the shelf. That’s to satisfy the “trad police” at shoots. My first raised rest was a Para rest (brush rest). I ruined some hunting arrows back in 1972 getting in a downpour. Went and got a 1/2 dozen MicroFlights with vanes. Learned real quick about needing a raised rest. After many years of trying all sorts of raised rests I still prefer the brush rest. I had one fail in all that time. I do use Gorilla outdoor tape to apply it. Only other rest I would consider is the old springy rest but it can hang up pretty easy in thick cover.

[MCNSC]

I’ve shot both , some bows a raised rest really helps, others I couldn’t tell much difference. I prefer off the shelf. But will use a rest if needed.

[PrimitivePete]

Really depends for me on the best possible tune I can get. If a rest works better than the shelf, I'll use it but if the shelf is working fine, I'll stick with it.

[Steve D]

Home made rest arrow flight and tune much easier.

[Bigriver]

All my recurves and a few longbows have a simple Bear weatherest on them. I trim the underside to get them a bit closer to the shelf, and put moleskin on them. They have never come off in all my hunting days afield. Elk hunting, deer hunting, rain, snow, it doesn't matter.In fact, they are a bitch to get off when I want to.

I get better flight, my bows are easier to tune, the arrow does not fall off the shelf in a tree stand, and in general, they just work better for me. I have a tendency to roll the arrow off the shelf with my arthritic fingers, it solves that too. (FOR ME)

[Rob DiStefano]

The name of the game is consistent accuracy.  It's always gonna be about what both the bow and archer likes, and what works best for each.  Won't know 'til ya try, and that's what it's all about it.

Off the shelf ("female" Velcro) with an arrow plate (teflon tape).  Both have a small piece of round toothpick underneath and right at the handle depth.  I want my bow hand as close to the arrow as possible.