Lust, to crave or have a strong desire for - blood? Personally that never entered into the equation for me. Certainly there was an adrenaline rush from the thrill of the hunt, but the kill itself, and the blood that followed, was always anti-climatic for me
I guess I was a little bit offended by the phrase "blood lust."
But no more than that.
Hello; OK I get it. The term blood lust is the sticking point. So use another term for the practice because it does not matter to me. The practice to be clear is when a person has the where withal (Money, resources capacity to buy all the food needed for him/her self and a family unit) but chooses to go out and kill some prey animal. The reason for the hunting can and likely will be varied among individuals. I get there is a thrill of the hunt. I get there is a sense of accomplishment in the stalking and the skills needed to be successful.
There is a key factor to drill down to. That is the act of killing an animal when killing is not strictly necessary. I have know of some folks who go thru all the same steps of a hunter but have a camera mounted on a gun stock. The process culminates with a successful stalk when the person gets a picture of the animal within a practical killing range. I have done neither a killing hunt nor a camera hunt so cannot say if the thrill is different.
Let me say again I do not include hunting for food when the person actually needs the food for at least partial survival of himself or a family.
I do is a small way get there is a clear distinction in attitude among people. Fishing for example. I fish for the fun and thrill. I use barbless hooks and almost always only a single hook. I plan to release most fish I do catch. When I go fishing with some folks they do not get my way. To them a fishing trip is not any good unless they bring home fish to eat. Poor analogy I suspect.