Jewel's Brother Charged in Illegal Bear Hunt

Atz Lee Kilcher -- younger brother of singer Jewel -- is facing charges for using a helicopter to track down a black bear ... a major no-can-do under Alaska law.

Kilcher -- who co-stars with his father (also named Atz) on the Discovery Channel show "Alaska: The Last Frontier" -- was charged with the misdemeanor hunting violation, stemming from a hunt that took place last September.

This wasn't a Sarah Palin shooting wolves from a chopper situation though. According to documents in the case ... the Kilchers only used their bird for transport to the area where they hunted. However, even that's considered a violation.

The production company has also been charged. It's unclear if they killed any bears ... or if footage from the hunt aired on the show.