Authorities are on the lookout for two men who took down a cow moose near Teslin last week.

Tony Grabowski of the Yukon's Department of Environment said the incident occurred last Tuesday on Teslin Lake, close to the Ten Mile Territorial Campground.

'This matter came to our attention Thursday, October 6.

'There were three shots fired. The moose was killed and removed from the area whole,' Grabowski said.

He said the incident was concerning because the two men had shot and killed the female moose during a time when it is not permitted, except for first nation members, and the shots had been fired within a kilometre of a residence.

Shooting a firearm within a kilometre of a residence is also something that is not permitted.

He said there were eyewitnesses who saw the incident and that the matter was now being investigated.

'The two men were adults, larger men,' Grabowski said, explaining that authorities were asking anyone with any further information to come forward.

According to the Department of Environment, it is easy to tell the difference between a cow and a bull moose this time of year because a bull has antlers while a cow does not.

This is also the time of year when a cow moose experiences its greatest fertility.

'Cow moose can experience three estrous or breeding periods in the fall. The second estrous, which occurs between the last week of September and the first week of October, is the period of greatest fertility,' department information states.

Most moose inhabit the southern areas of the Yukon and studies indicate their numbers in the Yukon to be in the 50,000 range.

The total moose population in the Teslin area is estimated to be about 4,700.