Is it legal to shoot bearded hens in your state? Not ethics or would you do it. South Carolina does NOT allow hens of any description. We do not have a fall season.
Here in Florida you can harvest either sex during archery and fall season, toms and bearded hens during the spring; although some WMA have their own regulations that override state regs.
You can shoot any bearded bird here. Last year filming a hunt I was concentrating on a gobbler and didn't catch the bearded hen until I played the video back. Here's some video of the hen.