Original content created by community member: Mosby

Summary of tips from the beta forums, and other posts:

General

1. Official Lorebook Entry for Hunters
2. Hunters do a lot of (ranged) damage, but are fairly squishy, and have no in-combat healing abilities.
3. Hunters can track creatures. There are different types of tracking which we get at different levels, but eventually we can track anything. Tracking is by-name, challenge, or distance; so we can even track unique mobs. If you're doing a quest to kill mobs that are hard to find, it's very nice to have a hunter along. With certain traits, hunters can even track creatures in stealth.
4. We build campfires, which increase morale and power regen while out of combat if you are near them, and also allow for some cooking recipes to be made (level 22).
5. Hunters do not have pets (that's the Lore-master).
6. Hunters do not mark targets (that's the Captain).
7. For conjunctions, we generally prefer to contribute Red or Yellow, since we can do so from long range (40m).
8. Hunters can heal poison effects very rapidly. It is no longer a line-of-sight skill with no cooldown and doesn't require the target to be stationary. The hunter must not be moving, however.

DPS

1. We're a lot more effective if you give us those few precious seconds to gather our Focus before a fight. That means the puller should wait to pull until he hears the conspicuous sound of the hunter focusing.
2. Many of our skills have long induction times, and can be interrupted. Multiple attackers on us significantly reduces our ability to do damage.
3. We can usually pull aggro if necessary.
4. Our melee dps is just tiny compared to our bow dps. But moving away from the mob causes us to lose Focus. So, if you're the main tank, and you notice the mob is right next to me, it would benefit the fellowship to move it out of my melee range so my auto-attacks will use my bow instead of my melee weapons.

Fast Travel

1. At level 14, we get a fellowship buff that provides +15% out-of-combat run speed.
2. For the cost of a few travel rations, we can port the fellowship:
   1. Shire: Michel Delving (level 22)
   2. Ered Luin: Thorin's Hall (level 24)
   3. Our "bound" campsite (level 26); many hard-to-reach instances have campsites nearby: Campsite List
   4. Lone-lands: Ost Guruth (level 26 quest)
   5. Bree (level 32)
   6. North Downs: Esteldin (level 34)
   7. Evendim: Tinnundir (level 36 quest)
   8. Angmar: Aughaire (level 44 quest)
   9. Trollshaws: Rivendell (level 46)
   10. Angmar: Gath Forthnir (level 48 quest)
   11. Forochel: Suri-Kyla (level 48, skill training item, Lossoth reputation)
   12. Eregion: Echad Dunann (level 50, skill training item, class quest)
   13. Moria: 21st Hall (level 56, skill training item, dwarf miner's reputation)
   14. Mirkwood:  Mirk-Eaves (~level 60, skill training item, Mall reputation)
   15. Enedwaith:  Harndirion (~level 65, skill training item, Grey Company reputation)

Crowd Control (Traps)

1. Normal traps must be deployed before combat starts. It has an effective diameter of about 5 paces and usually snags the first mob to cross it. Damaging the mob has chance to release it. (Hunters traited Trapper of Foes can deploy a trap every 30s in combat in addition to crafted traps)
   
2. Hunters can lay down tripwires (out of combat only, even when traited ToF) which is a 5s knockdown and starts a conjunction. (This is a great way to open boss fights with y-y-y-y-y-y if you don't have a burglar around to trip him.)
3. You can now tell the difference between a trap and a snare. A snare simply puts a bleed on the target, the snare is yellow in color.
4. A trapped mob can still attack in melee range, so move away from it.
5. As with all crowd control, don't attack the trapped mob.
6. Every 5 minutes, we can use a trap item, even in combat.
7. We can Fear beasts (Cry of the Predator). Fear lasts 10 seconds, but can be broken by damage, or a taunt/challenge. Fear does interrupt mob inductions. With a traited skill (Bard's Arrow) we can also fear evil mobs, this is particularly effective in the Ettenmoors as it adds a stack of debuffs to the feared monster player.
8. With a traited skill (Rain of Thorns) we can trap up to 5 mobs at once, from range, as with roots or other traps though, damage can break them out, so watch aoe's. (Don't ask us to RoT groups of ranged or caster mobs. The root doesn't stop them from attacking and they will all attack us on the get-go and then switch fire to the healer when he keeps us from dying.)
   
9. Hunters can also daze a target for 10s with a 3m CD by using a skill (Distracting Shot). (With the proper traits (Explosive Shot) and legacies, this can be turned into a 30s mez on a 15s cooldown [but 1.5s induction] - the equivalent of the Burglar perma riddle)
   

Using Traps

We hunters often wince when we see a good trap go to waste, much like a Lore-master winces when his mez is broken.
Using traps is tricky. Here are some tactical discussions.

1. Since the trap is a root, and not a mez or stun, trapping ranged mobs is pretty useless.
2. Since attacking the trapped mob will break it from the trap, you want to kill trapped mobs last.
3. Because of that, you want to use the trap for secondary targets, adds, and repops. Pull the main target to the SIDE of the trap. Peel off secondary targets and drag them into the trap to hold them until you're ready.
4. Since trapped mobs can still attack you if you're in melee range, you may need to stand some distance away from the trap. (The trap is 5m diameter. Melee range is 3m.)

So, here's a couple examples of smart ways to use a trap:

Example 1: You're a champion, duoing with a Hunter. There are two mobs ahead of you, one ranged, one melee. The Hunter lays down a trap, and fires a single shot at the melee mob.
Q: What do you do?
A: Charge the ranged mob. The melee will run at the hunter, and get trapped. The hunter will shift his fire to the ranged mob until you both take it down. Then return to the melee mob.

Example 2: You're a Captain in a group with a Hunter. Ahead of you are 3 melee mobs. One is an elite named mob you need to kill for a quest. You've decided to do a mez-pull with the LM. You want the named to be the first kill, but he's CLOSER to the trap than the other melees. So when they start running, he'll hit it first!
Q: What's the plan, Captain?
A1: Put the hunter in Strength stance, and when the LM mezzes, the hunter will fire his Quickshot (which slows mobs) at the named. This will allow the other melee to outrun him to the trap.
A2: LM stands to one side of the trap and mezzes. The mobs charge her. The guardian stands behind the trap, and Frays the Edge (ranged taunt) at the unnamed melee mob. The mob changes direction and heads for the trap. Once trapped, the Guardian runs over and Engages the elite.

These are certainly not the only answers, and probably not the best. But these might give you an idea about how to use traps to your advantage.