Rabbi Yechezkel Landau, Responsa Noda B’Yehuda YD 10

“Question: can Jews hunt? (Animals that are killed using hunting weapons are not considered kosher. Our question is not about eating the animals; it is about the act of hunting itself. ) Answer: …There is no issue of “bal tashchit” here, because one benefits from the skins of the animal, and it is not done in a wantonly destructive way. The central prohibition of “bal tashchit” is in the chopping of fruit trees; that is, not to destroy something from which humans can benefit. This may apply to ownerless items, but to things which incur no loss to humans, it doesn’t apply. Therefore, forest creatures, who provide no benefit to humans with their life, and only in their death provide skins and meat, how can we say “bal tashchit” is applicable?” [Translation by Kayam Farms]