Kodiak,

I agree, not everyone hunts just for meat.
Like you state, no one hunts sheep or goat, just to put meat and the freezer.
And yes, i openly speak to everyone that i hunt here in the city, especially while at the dog park.
And to be honest, i don't get any outward backlash, or at least not very often.
And yes, i am honest that when i hunt MD, late in November, it isnt for meat but rather for maturity.
Which quite often means tag soup, so it isnt about killing something, and they get that as well.
Elk, is a different story, and if its legal, its going down.

BUT, one mistake i think we have done as hunters, that no matter the reason for hunting, is what we have done or said "post kill".
I know hunters who make comments like, shoot the ram thru both shoulders, that way there is "less to pack out".
Or, leaving the whole bear behind except for hide.

Those have made an impact on "how we are viewed".
Many no hunting folks dont mind hunting, and accept it, if we "use the meat".
The issue is, if its left to rot, then there is a backlash by many, and then disapproval sets in.

Hunters dont have to cater to the public, i suppose that is true.
Go ahead, do as one has always done i suppose.
But, its seems approval of hunting by the public is "lessening"....like it or not.
It doesnt matter what a hunter thinks these days, if it isnt obvious by now.
But, understanding what the public "will accept, and under what conditions they will accept it", is important, imo.

If many are like the folks i encounter on a daily basis (city folks), that do accept hunting, it is on the basis that the
"meat comes out" (which basically is the new regs)
Those changes to the regs didnt come out because they wanted to make it harder for hunters.
They did it to give a better overall acceptance of hunting.

Hunting for hide or bone might be some hunters initiatives for sure and thats fine.
But respecting the meat is what will keep the fence sitters at bay.
Like it it or not.