first of all, there should be more types of animals. currently they are tiered thusly:
ant
fox
boar
deer
bear
mouflon/aurochs herd
there are fairly large gaps between them. these gaps should be filled. this way it is reasonable to work your way up, instead of just jumping straight to bears with your q10 sling.
secondly, animals shouldn't run away unless they can't reach you (for example you are behind a pallisade, or a circle of cellar boulders), or unless they are gravely wounded, in which case they should have stamina drain, eventually tiring out from running on forest, extra drain on swamps, etc. animals (except for ants) should also be able to swim (without drowning, ever) and attack people in boats and/or destroy the boat. this should remove any chance of exploiting and encourage group hunting for people who would be outmatched solo vs. some of the more dangerous animals. if you can get 10 people close enough to aim and fire before the animal aggroes (or before he kills more than a couple of you anyway), you should be able to get the legit kill.