Two Minnesota men have been charged with multiple counts of wildlife violations in the snaring deaths of bears, deer and other game animals following a two-year undercover investigation.

Brad Dumonceaux, 44, and Stephen Bemboom, 60, have been charged with using illegal wire snares larger than state regulations allow, failing to use tagging ID, failing to check the snares regu required, and other offenses. They also have been charged with illegally taking wolves, whitetail deer, bears and other wildlife.

The charges were filed in Itasca County District Court April 27, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. The two men face fines of more than $70,000 and jail sentences if convicted. They are scheduled to appear in court on May 21.

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After a tip to the Minnesota DNR, in April 2015 a conservation officer was alerted about two wolves snared on public land. He investigated, found a baited area with bones and parts of whitetail deer, and then nearby found an emaciated wolf along with three dead wolves. The officer put down the emaciated wolf due to its condition.

The officer and other officials began the investigation that led to the disoveries of other dead animals including a beaver, more wolves and a deer. In December 2015 they put up game cameras near the baited area. In June 2016 the officers collected more evidence, and then in November 2016 obtained photographs from the game cameras of Dumonceaux and Bemboom resetting the traps.

In late 2017 the officers found yet more evidence including a black bear sow and cub. The camera photos showed she lived for 19 days trapped in the snare before dying. Search warrants were obtained; Dumonceaux has a cabin about a mile from the bait site. He and Bemboom also were convicted in 2016 of failure to tend to their traps in another county.

Dumonceaux and Bemboom, both natives of Foley, were convicted of failure to tend traps in Becker County in 2016, where they left beaver carcasses for several weeks.