My experience with hunters is obviously only relevant to me, anecdote does not equal data. I've also mellowed substantially in regards to the class over time.

But even if you start with the basis that those "I want to drown the little bastiche" players are scattered evenly across all classes, there are over a million hunters (literally), so you'll seem to encounter more of them. And I'd pose the hypothesis that those defenestration candidates tend to gravitate to the dps classes somewhat. Hunter and rogue being #1 and #2 ranked in raw numbers I doubt happened by accident.

I'm just posing potential contributors why hunters have such the rep they do, the nerve I obviously touched wasn't my intent.

No class is as easy to get a basic grip on and level to 70 as a hunter, though locks are close on mechanics, because both have a pet tank. And all classes can solo to 70 (thank god, DAoC was horrid that way), but hunter is one of the fastest, especially compared to warriors and pallies as two examples.

Hell a contributor may be the "get out of jail " card that hunters (and rogues) have. Large dps with an aggro wipe is great solo but gets healers killed and groups wiped. Causes resentment when the hunter doesn't even get a repair bill out of it.

The tactics that a solo hunter uses successfully are in some respects counterproductive in groups, used indiscriminately.

You could even pose the thought that many relatively new players have a bad opinion of hunters (and rogues) because of experiences getting slaughtered by twink hunters and rogues in WSG when they were very new.

Pick a theory, I dunno. The rep is there, the reason is anyone's guess.