The hunts were on timers. Now, I assume that the full game will not be this way, in fact I pray it isn’t.

Have you played other titles in the series? They all feature timed quests. Usually they're much much longer. Like an hour, depending on the quest you're doing. And there are various gathering quests where you can pretty much just explore until you get bored and then hand in a paw pass.

I am also eagerly awaiting the release for this one.