The idea that predators only take the weak and old is TOTAL POLITICAL CORRECTNESS< NATURE BY DISNEY BS. whether they should be hunted in your area depends on the prey population and your (or the mailmans) picture perfect ideals of how they think nature is supposed to be is niether here nor there. In many areas the cats are truely rare and should not be hunted for that reason alone. But out west they are not rare(just rarely seen) and they do attack and kill mostly healthy animals, and lots of them. Here in nevada they kill wild horses quite often. My neighbor and I saw a lion attack a HUGE 5x5 bull elk that was fit as a fiddle. He missed this time, but I guarantee ANY deer would've been dead meat. As someone said before, lions are also extremely skilled hunters. SMall game will not keep a lion going or even interest them unless they are starving..