when youre doing it for the hell of it i would assume it counts.
Is he torturing the animals?
Is he mutilating them while their still alive, and getting enjoyment out of their pain?
No. What he is doing isn't cruelty.
While I don't entirely of approve of hunting purely for sport, it is a legitimate reason for hunting that many people do.
Also referring to hunting in general. It can get really loving stupid. I can't count how many people have called me a bad person when they hear I ate a rabbit, and then proceed to continue eating their burger/chicken/whatever meat, entirely out of touch with the reality of where their meat cme from, and that the animal they are eating most likely lived a much more horrible life than the animal I did.
Ok calling it a basic need is seriously troubling.
I will agree with this though.