Richard, I agree that a good shot causes lhe least suffering (The kind of coursing where you hunt down a fox with a pack of hounds and riders is not considered ethical among hunters here in Germany, btw).

Still I don`t get why shooting foxes is different from shooting birds. With the poultry in modern farms foxes don`t get much of a chance to get them. Different with cormorants and fish-farms, maybe?

The real important about hunting is not about necessity but about the ecological effects: does hunting endanger the species? With the modern way of hunting which includes wildlife-management in the sense of conservation of the species it won`t. Nowadays species become extinct because humankind is destroying their habitats. And I don`t talk about farmers or hunters here: it is the general population`s demands for cheap food, clothing, heating, teak garden furniture etc. ...
Best
Ernest