How many shots did he take? Why didn’t the bird fly away when golf balls started whizzing by? Was he just screwing around or trying to get attention - could he have possibly known he could hit this bird?
All real questions. I haven’t seen the tape.
Things are starting to get extremely pussified and jucified around these parts lately. The man was just showing off. There is no way in hell he could have anticipated actually hitting the bird. The cameras were there and he just wanted to show how accurately he could hit a golf ball. Even Tiger Woods wouldn’t go out bird hunting with just a caddy and a few Titleist golf balls. It was am extremely lucky shot that he couldn’t have anticipated given the circumstances. I like hawks and it was very unfortunate for that one but I have to admit that I ate part of a bird tonight as well as some pig and a little beef. I didn’t kill them with a golf ball but I did pay people indirectly to kill them and move them into a safe location so that I could pick them up and pay for them so that I could pick them up and sear their flesh on a hot, smoky grill.
Those are good questions. Hawks are extremely intelligent and paranoid by nature. We have had a few show up in our yard over the years and they are simply stunning in a Hitler kind of way. I find it hard to believe that any Hawk will just sit there like a dope while golf balls are flying past. If the story is true, it had to be a 1 in a 1,000,000 shot,
There is no tape. He took several shots, then got closer, took more shots, then got closer and finally hit. Why the bird didn’t move with balls whizzing by his head, I’m not an ornithologist. 
I’m not sure he believed he could seriously hurt, let alone kill, the hawk.
From a range of at least 75 yards, I would expect the hawk to fly away if a ball got close enough.
Even if he got (un)lucky enough to hit the hawk, would he really think a golf ball would do so much damage from that range?
It would have to be a direct head shot as though the ball was shot from a sniper rifle.
I bet Tiger could have taken it out with one shot.
No way. If you look at the (very few) number of times someone get a ball in the cup from the range he was hitting, you can see how how difficult that task is. Dave Pelz in his book, Short Game Bible talks about how the best of the pros still can only expect a 10% rate of accuracy. In other words, since he was hitting at the bird from 70 yards out, he could only expect to it in a 7-yard radius.
Back to the OP, the issue isn’t just about dogs vs. hawks. The issue is also premeditation and the length of time which Vick was involved compared to a seemingly one-time event and lack of clear intent to hurt.
Sure, he was reckless, but that’s a different matter than an active participant.
I’m sorry, but that isn’t accurate. He sent at least one ball right by the bird prior to hitting it. From 75 yards, I would give most pro golfers a 1 in 100 chance of tagging a target that size. He took multiple shots with the intent of hitting the bird. It is pretty easy to determine that, based on the eyewitness accounts.
That does not take nto consideration a staitonary golfer hitting at a stationary target, taking mulitple shots, and adjusting after each one. I’ve seen golfers hit some remarkably small tagets under similar circumstances.
Also, did they ever think of sending someone to, I don’t know… walk over and scare the bird away?
It also doesn’t take into account that you don’t have to hit it 75 yards and stick it in this situation. It just has to pass through the area where the bird was, which is a much simpler task.