Chevalier, your description of gathering hides fails to include several factors....
Fighting animals for hides may result in 0 hides, you and your mercs may take damage that needs healing, and your equipment takes damage that needs to be repaired, which costs you gold. When you fight animals for hides, you rarely get other items dropped that are of any real value (for example, no weapons are dropped that can be sold at the stores for profit)
Currently, in tier 2, Ash wood is worth about 300 gold each, tin ore is 400 gold each, 1 raw sapphire is almost 8000 gold,......but a medium hide is worth only 100 gold.
Hides may be slightly easier to harvest, but I would not say that they are more profitable. I actually think, ALL things considered, all professions can be equally profitable (depending upon the individual player).