Raising from the egg is not illegal with proper permits, but people who raise from the egg are usually VERY careful to avoid imprinting, even to the point of having hawk costumes (and a hawk mask!). A very knowledgeable rehabber I knew had hawk puppets and a hawk costume for hatchlings, and it worked!
If you take a hawk from the wild, you have to know enough about aging a hawk (knowing how old it is by the feathers) not to take a bird younger than one year. If it's too young, it will imprint, and when you have an imprinted bird, it's almost useless for hunting and CONSTANTLY screeches -- therefore most falconers will take pains to avoid a bird that is too young. Generally you want to catch a bird that is 1.5 to 5 years old.
I have seen Hawks tuck their wings and dive like a rock for several thousand feet to pull out just above the ground.
That's a hunting dive. They saw their prey from several thousand up and were coming in for a kill. If they pulled out and didn't strike, it's because the animal got away.
Hawks are as thick as flies in Alabama but much more majestic.
Same in GA. I haven't typed what sort of birds you have here but Illinois was Redtail territory.