Playing a Hunter class character in WoW Player versus Player combat requires many of the same skills real hunter possess. You need to be able to quickly pick out a target and figure out how it will react so you can anticipate its next move. You also need to know your own capabilities and the capabilities of your gear. And you need to be able to maneuver into the optimal position to take out your target before they can take you out.
But playing a hunter in PvP involves much more than that. You need to know when and how to employ your Freezing and Frost Traps and essential crowd control devices is necessary but not enough. You need to know how to manage the space between you and your prey so you can cause as much ranged damage as possible in each duel. And you must do all this against an intelligent character, rather than a wild animal.
If you want to be really successful in Hunter PvP combat, you need to know the strategy and tactics for killing each class of opponent. It’s particularly important to understand how Druids, Warriors, and Rogues are likely to come at you. You also need to have a strategy for countering quick charges into hand-to-hand combat range by Warriors and Rogues.
Learning what you need to know on your own is possible if you put in enough time in the arena. But I can tell you from personal experience that if you try, you had better be prepared to get defeated regularly and be humiliated for a long time. I spent many frustrating hours ranking last or near last in the standings when I tried. It wasn’t until I picked up a Hunter PvP Guide that I started climbing in the standings rapidly.
Because a quality PvP Guide contains the hard-earned combat experience of Hunters with a vast amount of experience, it will contain strategies and tactics that are not obvious to newer players. In short, a good PvP Guide will save you a big block of time you would otherwise have to spend dying in battle before you become good at PvP combat.