As to hunting for sport, I do not believe that hunting for pure sport is acceptable. However, there are conditions in which hunting is acceptable and valid. Hunting for meat is ok, after all humans have to eat sometime and something. It seems that meat became a valid source of food after Noah.
There are other times when hunting is also acceptable. That is when the animal is over populated. Where I live, Rabbits run wild. Typically when I drive home, I see 10-30 rabbits on a mile stretch of road. This is because there is a lack of natural predators for these rabbits. Other examples of this are ground squirrels. For that matter feral cats can easily be not just a nusance, but a problem. I worked for a company and we had 40+ feral cats outside the back door in the brush. Eventually, the city had to come and fix the problem with these cats.
Also predators are another example of good types of hunting. Cougars will typically go back to the same place where they were. One day in my little town a young cougar found it's way into the city. This animal had to be shot based upon the fact that it would continue to come back. Btw, full grown cougars will go after grown men, if they feel that the men are in their territory.
As to animals having a soul, it seems that animals don't have a soul in the same sense that humans do. Ecclesiastes 3:21 appears that animals do not have the soul in the same sense as humans. In fact, it seems to be referring to animals souls are destroyed.
I do not doubt that animals have been effected by the fall nor that there are animals in heaven. For that matter, I prove that white horses will be around. However, because the animal is not a free moral agent, it appears that they have no eternal life. However, both positions on animals souls are highly speculative. The only thing I would ask is some scriptural reference for an animals' soul.
