bearded hens and would you shoot?

In the spring no but in the fall I may take one.

Bearded hens are so rare that getting one in gun range during hunting season would be a once in a lifetime experience. In the fall season I'd shoot one over a regular hen for sure, and even rather than a jake. I would be nervous shooting one in the spring, fearing that once I shot it and took a closer look, that what I thought was a beard was actually just a feather out of place, or a twig hanging down. Then my hunt is over, and I just ruined a nest of eggs, for a 12 pound bird, and a lot of explaining to do.