Sylvan, I think you made a good post. Not argueing with you, just discussing. But does a complete hunting expereince (in your words) = a kill. Not for me. I can have a complete hunting expereince without the kill.
I'm not arguing either. I actually understand and even agree with nearly all you've said. It's really just down to the details of the words we are using that I disagree a bit. So to answer your question, yes, to me part of hunting is killing the animal that is pursued. So if there is no kill then the experience is by definition incomplete. Certainly someone who has never killed a deer can not claim to have experienced all of deer hunting.
If you consider me a hunter or not doesn't matter to me.
I wasn't referring to you specifically. I was speaking generically. I've read many of your posts and I know you to be a dedicated and successfull hunter by any definition. I should have said
"I wouldn't consider one much of a hunter" rather than "you much of a hunter". And I agree with you in that I don't care what anybody thinks of the way I hunt or feel about hunting either.
Of course, I am attempting to kill the game I am in pursuit of, but if it doesn't happen, it's still OK with me.
It's OK with me too. But if I am as you say "attempting to kill" and I fail in that attempt then again by definition I did not succeed.