Like the Warlock, the World Of Warcraft Hunter is going to be all but married to his or her pet in World of Warcraft. The Hunter can't really solo without a pet. So get used to the idea now. If you don't want to fool with a pet, play another class. But don't let all this scare you.
The World of Warcraft Hunter and pet is the best solo class in the game. (Why do you think all those Chinese Gold Farmers are Hunters?) Hunter characters level quicker than any other class. The ability for the Hunter to tank with his pet, assist with his gun, and still be able to fight melee when the need arises, makes him a true solo artist. The pet will take a lot of your damage will you snipe with your gun. Now that is fun!
The World Of Warcraft Hunter is great for groups. A Hunter has dps and crowd control abilities to make any raid or instance much more do-able. With tanking pets to take agro, traps to freeze mobs, and a variety of dazing shots, Hunters are great for PVP and raiding.
Your Pet might run off when you leave it unhappy for too long
If you dismiss your Pet, its happiness level will still drop.
If your Pet dies, you don't need to go back to its corpse to revive it. You can just revive it where you are.
You Pet will lose all happiness if it dies. Be prepared to feed it.
If you don't find enough flesh to feed your Pet with, the Inn Keeper at Ironforge's entrance sells food.
Hunter's Mark is great in groups, it shows the whole group which mob is being pulled.
Hunter traps are great for instances and for the battlegrounds. Learn to set your traps, and when to use them.
Send your pet in first, wait for it to engage the enemy, then begin firing. In PVP, use attacks such as Scatter Shot to daze your enemy.
Scopes (made by an engineer) increase your damage output when attached to your guns and bows.
As a World of Warcraft Hunter, you can shoot Arcane Shot while running. You can also use Hunter's Mark while on the run.
Always use the best ammo available at your level. Engineers can make ammo (so look in the Auction House) or you can get it at a vendor.
Be sure to equip an ammo bag. It holds your ammo, and it buffs your rate of fire. Always use the best ammo bag for your level.
Wow Sunters are most powerful when in ranged combat. You should always try to attack from range. Kite (run around) in combat to maintain your range. Hunters have a minimum range when using ranged weapons that prevents them from firing their weapon (minimum range error) when the monster is in this area.