"... suggest to me that it's more about the killing than the eating." You are wee bit correct but it goes far, far deeper than the connotation you impart, and for good reasons. And, no, I won't explain. Just wish I could hunt again.

BTW. When I was 12, I ran a trap line to help put food on the table. At 14, I hunted to put food on the table. When I was 25, I hunted to eat my history... now, ain't THAT poetic?

Boiler Room, buddy. In and out.