BELTRAMI COUNTY, Minn. — A man is facing multiple criminal charges in Beltrami County after allegedly harvesting too many deer and not tagging them, as well as harvesting bears without a license to do so. He is additionally accused of killing a neighbor's dog.
The most serious charges against Brandon James Mutchler, 26, of Hines, are overwork/mistreat animals-torture and mistreat animals-cruelty.
According to the criminal complaint, a tip was submitted to conservation officers about Mutchler, alleging he overkilled deer in 2022. Mutchler initially said he did not harvest any deer in 2022 or 2021, but then admitted to harvesting a single deer that he did not register in 2022. He later told law enforcement he shot two deer in 2022 with a bow that he did not tag.
Authorities conducted search warrants and found a notebook where Mutchler wrote about baiting bear during the 2022 hunting season. According to the criminal complaint, he did not have a bear hunting license that year.
Following a search warrant on his cell phone, the complaint says hundreds of photos were found of Mutchler and others harvesting and or possessing deer over the limit in 2021, 2022 and 2023, as well as photos of harvesting and or being in possession of bears — as well as grey wolf.
In August 2023, deputies took a call for a German Shepard that was shot in Beltrami County and the kennel appeared to have been repeatedly kicked from the outside, the criminal complaint says. Mutchler was questioned because he lived near by, but denied killing the dog. When his cell phone was searched, authorities found he searched online questions such as “how far do police look into pet murders," “mn laws on killing someones dog,” and “is shooting a dog a felonie."
Mutchler will make a first court appearance on Aug. 28.
