RE: Would you shoot it???
Hmmmm.
Just tonight I was scouting some fields, and had 3 jakes and 2 hens approach the truck. One of the hens was sporting at least a 6-7 inch beard. Got me thinking that I would take her if given the chance...I still have 2 tags and 9 days.
However, I also know that the hens have all been bred, and most are now laying/nesting almost fulltime. It would be hard to shoot a hen, this late in the season, with probably a 75% chance that not only is she a breeding hen but has also probably laid a clutch of eggs.
If the season was earlier (like many Southern states), I wouldn't even think twice. But this late in the season, in the Northern states, I'd really have to specifically want a bearded hen to kill a reproductive female bearing young...