My Great Grandfather, a Captain in the AEF killed and ate a peacock with his men on some french chateau during the war (towards the end, they'd gone beyond the supply lines.)
Peacock was a favorite dish of Henry VIII, and in ancient Rome, it was decided to limit personal expenditures for "feasts", including weddings, and a single peacock would soak up ~20% of the "legal" limit.
And yes, they had the then-equivalent of BHO enforcers harassing and fining people. There are absurd stories of the kitchen help temporarily moving the excess food out windows when unbribable feast police types would crash a party.
I hope your antecedent enjoyed it, because it's somewhat difficult not to overcook and dry out on the first attempt.