Shootall: No, I don't think longer range shooting will take hunting in the wrong direction. You may notice that of late, like the last 12-15 years, everytime someone comes out with a new version of some light weight hunting rifle, the groups they base their success on are 3 shot groups, which they hope will give their rifle some credibility with hunters. "Geez, if I can group 3 in under 2" at 100 yds, I should be able to hit a deer-sized target all the way out to maybe 300 yds", so I'll purchase that rifle and if I ever get a 300 yd shot I know I can make it.
This is, of course, the wrong approach but it is the approach many take when considering a rifle. They might never get a shot at over 75 yds but if they spot one out to 300 yds, well... take it from there.
Is this taking hunting in the wrong direction - naw. For every hunter who thinks of himself as a long range shooter there are probably 5 guys who think that stalking to within 50m, or using a muzzle loader, or a bead front sight on a shotgun, or a set of Winchester Buckhorn sights or a older Marlin 30-30, or the kid who gets his dad's hand me down 7mm Mauser camp rifle is best and are probably much more prevalent than the guy we overhear at the gun shop telling us about his 300 yd capability. What snarls my boxers is the in-line muzzle loader with a scope mounted on it - it's not like this gun is going to shoot a 500 gn mini-ball out to 400 yds on a trophy buck and when the owner tells me that even with sabots his groups open up beyond 100 yds I wonder why he just didn't buy a slug barrel for his shotgun.
I dunno, or as Will Farrel sang in the movie 'Casa de mi Padre', "Yo no se"......... but I don't see this taking hunting in the wrong direction, imo.