The Hunter class performs pulling, threat redirection, crowd control, and primarily ranged damage. Hunters have pets that add to their DPS and help manage aggro. They can also track, tame and train animals and beasts found in the wild. Hunters consider their weapons and pets to be their only true friends.
Although in some other games such as Everquest, the Hunter is much more a ranged/melee hybrid, this is generally not the case in World of Warcraft. The Survival tree offers some enhancement to melee ability, but the class's damage mitigation in particular is poor compared to pure melee classes, and its melee abilities, such as they are, are generally considered vestigial.