9pointer123:

One other thing I would like to mention, though it is not involved in why I hunt.

Hunters provide a benefit to game animals and to our non-hunting neighbors by maintaining game populations at or near management objectives. State governments own the game in the several states and manage the populations of these game animals through sport hunting regulations and quotas. Too many deer and they become a hazard to drivers in some areas (don't think so, talk to people in NW Wisconsin) and/or they invade suburban areas and damage people's gardens. Too many game animals and they are more liable to a rapidly spreading disease which kills many more of these game animals than would be the case if their numbers were held in check. Too many game animals and they are subject to population crashes where 90% of the species dies off. The population crashes are the result of populations increasing to the limits of habitat in average years and then comes along a harder than average year -- less rain and less food than average, more snow and hence less obtainable food -- and most of the animals starve to death because there isn't enough food to go around. Of course, we as adults know that even while most years tend to the average, every 10 or 15 years there is a much worse than average year, just the way statistics and random processes work.

So, the state game departments decide that the deer population should be reduced by a 20% kill to keep the population stable, and they set prices, season lenghts, and other constraints so that the results tend to their objective. If they make a little error one year, they correct the next. Oklahoma lengthened its deer rifle gun season two years ago, presumably because not enough deer were killed in the shorter season to balance the population appropriately. Formerly predators such as wolves, coyotes, and bears tended to be the limiting factor on game populations and hence population crashes during "lean years" did not occur, or at least not commonly. Now, however, the habitat has changed and in some places deer have no natural enemies to thin them out.

Anti-hunters seek to find alternative game management mechanisms, but there has yet to be found such a successful mechanism. And hunting generates a lot of revenue for businesses, leading to taxes. I'm not talking about guns and ammo, but rather hotels, restaurants, gasoline purchases, clothing such as gloves, hats, etc.

Some hunters are improved by their passion for hunting to the extent of maintaining their physical conditioning and keeping their weight down just because they want to be up to the rigors of hunting. Not all hunts are physically demanding, and not all hunters reduce their weight and undertake physical training to be ready for hunting, but many do.