like others have said, shooting at birds of prey in tree's is super dangerous, a .243 bullet will pas right thru a hawk, or like bird and still travel FAR< up to 2-3 miles or MORE
the FACT you wish to bury it, already imply's you know its wrong! and I agree Illegal
if your chickens are being attached by a Hawk, and you LEGALLY can shoot it,
you have to shoot it while its attacking NOT a random hawk in a tree that may or may not be the same bird!
your asking for trouble here with shooting protected birds
better idea and CHEAPER than a federal fine, is BUY some netting and place it above your chicken coop to protect them
IF you have free roaming chickens, YOU just asking for a few to go MIA, its PART of having them free roam
I have had chickens and know many that do
they DON"T cost any where as much as a fine for shooting a protected bird of prey!
Please DON"T shoot high power rifles into the air, its just Unsafe and can KILL someone!