I've never enjoyed killing. There was a brief period in my youth where I enjoyed the self-image and persona of a hunter, sportsman, outdoorsmen, that entailed killing fish and game animals etc., but that passed and it has long been absent as part of my identity. I'm not criticizing that image or persona, just saying that I don't feel a need to possess it. I do continue to spend time outdoors, and in the wilderness specifically, every day. I just don't identify with the hunter or fisherman persona, nor do I identify with the northface/patagonia/rei outdoor recreationist consumer persona, or the hippy/tie-die/birkenstock/granola/organic/boiled-wool pocket mulchers.
Because killing game gives me no pleasure, and because it does nothing to serve my identity, does not mean I will not do it. I recognize that game species produce a seasonal surplus that would put pressure on scarce resources if their population was not reduced. Without hunters harvesting a portion of that surplus, many more would succumb to great suffering. Harvesting the game ethically and consuming it to nourish people is moral. I will both do it and teach the life skills required to do it properly to others like my children. It does not thrill me. I don't get excited. It doesn't boost my ego or reinforce my self-image. I'm not a shooter. I'm not looking to limit-out. I don't covet trophies. I've used different methods like archery, but I don't have anything to prove by it. I do enjoy and appreciate the animals. I am very determined to be effective in all the tasks involved. I enjoy sharing the experiences with others, especially kids.
So my advice to Steve, who is evidently a mature hunter who has managed to outgrow or has avoided altogether some of the foolishness and cruelty that some hunters go through stages of, is to mentor others so that they can arrive there too. There is no substitute for a mentor who isn't eager to use all their latest gear and gadgets, and doesn't get giddy and yippee when they get to pull the trigger on a trophy or a bag limit, who is cunning and skillful, but has nothing to boast of. Your accomplishment can be that a young person will say what they love most about hunting is not the killing, but their mentor.