I think in real hunting the animal must be respected, like the game of baseball. You can not buy your way to the big leagues and I believe you should not be able to buy your way to big game hunting.
For all the arguements about working too hard and too long, I disagree. You have vacation. use it. I do not have vacation as I own my own business, I plan very hard to make sure that I have the time to go hunting. It is foremost family time, both kids hunt, about the only time I see my nephews anymore is at the deer shack. Same with my brother and his brother in law, The guys who have the property down river from us are from all over the country, They all take time to make it an event. Every Friday night before the opener we all go to a little Inn and have dinner together and catch up. This has been going on since before I was born, Old-timers no longer with us are remembered, young ones are introduced to the hunt. Every one is respected, even when being joshed about missing the "big one" while (pick one) sleeping, snoring, eating, taking a dump, etc.
Arrangements are made to bring venison to those not able to show up, either due to illness or age, it is family time. We have maybe 9 hunters, 3 of whom of women and are clamouring for exclusive use of the bunk house next year, the other group has 12 to 14.
I get tired of people who claim they are too busy to do the important things. For me it is an excuse, a reason to be lazy.
For the guys who complain the difference between a feeder and feedplot, The feedplot will last all year. The feeders only as long as someone thro;s corn in it. I have planted pear, apple, crab apple, northern white oak, popple, winter hardy strawberry, blueberry and high bush cranberry, We have planted thickets of spruce and white pine, All for the next generation. I hunt on land owned for 100 years. we are constantly manipulating the balance. wood gets cut for firewood and lumber, trees planted by my sister in laws great grandfather, (last year I made a cradle out of a Sugar Maple planted in 1905) for a great great great daughter of the man who planted it...
The kid in grad school NYC who had never been able to drive a car, that is fine, but before he goes all out let him spend a few falls in the finger lake region hunting white tail, he will be much more appreciative of what comes later. And more than likely he will change his whole mind set on what happens north and west of Manhattan...
I know a few people who have gone on canned hunts, two came back as anti's as they just saw it as slaughtering an animal for fun...it took me a couple of years to convince the one to just go bird hunting with us once, to let them realize what they had experienced was not hunting it was killing.
When culling needs to happen, I understand that. but call it that. I have spent many days out culling geese of golf courses. Canadian geese are smart and when they find a fenced, predator less, heavily maintained 500 acre lawn to eat they tend to stay. The problem comes when they eat so much grass loaded with all sorts of chemicals that the offspring begin to look like the banjo player from Deliverance. We shot one this spring with three legs...