Jon - in my mind I try to distinguish between hunting & brutally killing animals for sport,
whether that sport be legal or illegal,
which I consider abhorrent [badger baiting and hare coursing is verging on depraved...]...

and humans and animals working as a bonded team - traditional hunting for food and pest control.

I do agree with rural traditions of training predators to enjoy following their instincts,
but under controlled conditions for a reasonable & humane purpose.

[ideally with no guns or other weapons...]

However, this is all theoretical since I have been long time too dislocated from my semi rural family roots....

I haven't even been fishing since the mid 1970s...

My childhood passions were wildlife animals, birds, and fish..
then as I entered teenage I discovered rock music and girls
and the lure of big cities...