I played in WoW since WoW was in beta many many years ago. (and on / off over the years).
And my memory from back then, was that ALL hunters were forced into Marksman for raiding.
I have just joined Turtle server.... so do not know about what specc is allowed in raiding or not.
I checked around have have not seen any BM hunters in Stormwind.
It is always: Marksman or Survival.
Where are the BM hunters ?
Why are they not allowed ?.
IF they are too gimped / nerfed, then simply buff them... there is a specific talent: Spirit Bond deep in BM tree just for pets... so buff it untill they function... it is not hard, you simply change the number.
Go 5 % at time, to see what happens... but if BM are already far behind, then start off with a bigger buff, and then small ones to fine tune.
Also, specific BM gear is pretty easy to make and have mobs / bosses drop.
I know it is easy to make items, because i made some fun stuff on my own sandbox server some years ago.
Most fun i did was with a murloc "boss"... he did his: mrgrgmblbe.. and poff,, i went flying across the map. =D
But seriously, where are the BM hunters ?
BM hunters. ???
Re: BM hunters. ???
BM Hunters are still the best at leveling imo, and most leveling hunters I see are BM. I haven't reached the raiding stage yet, but this is the build I'm rocking and I've seen other BM hunters use: https://talents.turtle-wow.org/hunter?p ... AAAAAAAAA=
The only downside is that even with Broken Tooth, that 40% ain't enough to keep Frenzy constantly up...
The only downside is that even with Broken Tooth, that 40% ain't enough to keep Frenzy constantly up...

Throwing weapon duel wielding for Trolls: viewtopic.php?t=19318
Beast Mastery talent adjustments: viewtopic.php?p=131143#p131143
Beast Mastery talent adjustments: viewtopic.php?p=131143#p131143