I was hog hunting a couple of weeks ago at night. I got a shot at a decent size hog, but missed. I had a lighted pin, but when looking through the peep, I could not distinguish the hog in the dark. I was wishing my recurve was in hand, because I shoot it instinctively. I know one of the guys on TV "Fitzgerald" shoots instinctively with a compound.

Since I got back, I've tried several set-ups instinctively. What type of rest would work?

I have shot barebow for around 25years,I shot the flipper rest on compound,but gotta custom takedown recurve 16 yrs.ago and never looked back!Recurve I would shoot off shelf hair rest,compound flipper.Paul Shaffer use to shoot flipper off his recurve i read once.He liked using plastic fletching because it rain up high in alaska alot where he sheep hunted.He left us to soon,he was one of my all time mentors as well as fred bear and Dan Quillian.I have seen dan shoot years ago and he didnt miss!90#longbow!!!Watch some old recurve and longbow videos and watch the magic those old timers did with there REAL bows!They didnt use no stinking sights!!!Have a good one!

JD, I have shot a compound instinctively, but not very well!!
Actually, the best white tail I have taken was shot more instinctively than with the site pin I had on the bow.... and could not see!! (No, it wasnt passed legal shooting time!! ) At the time I was set up for fingers and I use to practice shooting fast and instinctive. Inside twenty yards I felt very confortable for deer size targets.
The Fitzgeralds (I just cant get in to those two guys??)shot with fingers, but the Wild Man Uncle Ted Nugent uses a release and no sights.
I assume you are shooting with fingers?? If so, a Wisker Biscuit rest would be hard to beat. You would never worry about rolling the arrow off the rest and canting the bow would not be a problem. It would be awsome for stalking and while in a tree, the bow could be hung without fear of knocking the arrow off the rest.
Try one and I thing you will like the results.

ds: The compound I'm shooting has a Whisker Biscuit on it, but I don't seem to be able to shoot it very well instinctively. The best results I've had so far are with a berger button and flipper, but this setup is terrible for hunting with. I do shoot with fingers.

Read the book instinctive shooting by G. Fred Asbell, he states that the compound is inherently good for instinctive shooting because of the easy to hold letoff thingy. I'd get the arrow as close to my hand as possible, and since most of the shelves on compounds are radiused you might consider either grinding the radius (which might weaken the bow) out or building it up a little. I recently did this with one of my recurves that had a radiused shelf and it worked great. It only takes about 3/8 of an inch of fiberglass/ or whatever glue you use to do the trick. I would think a whisper biscuit would get in my sight frame and screw up my depth perception.

calgarychef: Maybe I'm a dumbass, but I have no idea what you are describing to do. I've got 4 compounds I'm messing with right now, and the best luck I'm having is with an old Martin Warthog with a flipper and button.

You're not a dumb ass. Look at the shelf where the arrow would sit if you didnt have a rest. Is there a radius where the riser meets the shelf or is it 90 degrees like a corner. If it's not radiused just buy some bear hair for the arrow to ride on, it quiets things down. Then try shooting instinctively. The thing is when shooting instinctive you want to point the bow like you were pointing your finger at the target. By getting the arrow lower you get it closer to your hand thus it's closer to the plane that you're pointing on.

If you want to gap shoot thats different and it's a way of aiming using the tip of the arrow and that might work better off a rest. Say your arrow tip placed on the target at 30 yards would hit where you wanted it to, then maybe one arrow diameter above the target at 40 yards would be the way you would aim at 40 etc. Gap shooting works better off an elevated rest, instinctive works better off your hand.

Hope that helps

I forgot to mention most people shooting off the shelf use natural fletching because the feathers bent over obstructions as they come off the bow, where plastic vanes don't which causes the arrow to jump around.

Ok, I've got it. No, the bows I'm using are not radiused. I've been trying one off of the shelf, using fleece for A rest. It's not as accurate as the one with the flipper, but it's a hell of a lot quieter and easier to deal with while hunting.

what kind of feathers are on your arrows? Natural or otherwise?

The one off the shelf, I'm using vanes; I'll have to switch these to feathers to get a good test. Don't have any arrows spined right with feathers for this bow.

I decided to try the one with the Whisker Biscuit again, but this time I removed the sight. With the sight off, I started shooting it much better instinctively. I think this setup might be the way to go for me.