Is hunting for sport okay?
The short answer
Yes. God gave man stewardship over animals for just purposes, and man must not make them suffer or die needlessly. Responsible sport hunting — for food and skins, for wildlife management, or for the skill of the hunt — does not violate that. The Church does not oppose it.
Stewardship
God gave humanity stewardship over animals, including using them for just purposes such as food, clothing, medical and scientific research, and human work and leisure (CCC 2417-2418).
The limit
People must not deliberately cause animals to suffer and die needlessly; that would be contrary to human dignity. Animals do not strictly have "rights," since they are not human, but we have a responsibility to treat them with reasonable care.
What about sport?
Shooting an animal just to watch it suffer and die would be wrong. But most hunters do no such thing. Some use the meat and hides; some help keep nature in balance through regulated thinning of overpopulation; some enjoy the tracking, marksmanship and trophies rather than any suffering. Responsible hunters track down a wounded animal to end its suffering. In short, the Church does not oppose sport hunting.
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