I agree with many here: Bounty hunting as a form of roleplay lite PvP is outdone by /conn, and as a way to make money it leaves a whole lot to be desired. You cant even get hired as a convoy escort these days (I try that pretty often too) except by very few factions. Also many of the official unlawful factions (read corsairs) are a lot thinner on the ground now too. Personally I fault the indie pirate id, as they can make money without much roleplay and unlimited choice of location. Jack is right abut hubs too: they encorage gameplay a lot, even if some systems then see less traffic.
Im penniless, rotten in a fight, and have authority issues, but im back!