ALBANY — Two Adirondack men are charged with illegally shooting a moose in the High Peaks region.

State Department of Environmental Conservation officers charged 40-year-old Burton Smith of Keene and 40-year-old Kelly Reydell of Ausable Forks with a misdemeanor count of illegal taking of a moose.

They were issued tickets on Friday to appear in local court on Oct. 27. They face possible penalties of a year in jail and fines of up to $2,000.

The moose was killed in the Essex County town of Keene.

DEC estimates the Adirondack moose population at around 500. While the population increased mainly by migration from Vermont and Canada in the past couple of decades, officials say the increase now is mainly due to the birth of calves locally.

There is no legal hunting season for moose in New York state.

AP-ES-10-17-08 1854EDT