You might have heard about Pierce Brosnan getting dinged this past week with two federal citations accusing him of going off-trail near the Mammoth Hot Springs and venturing into a restricted thermal area ... all while violating closures, per court docs filed in Wyoming.

There wasn't much detail in the filings, other than to claim he waded a little too deep in the Mammoth Terraces by foot on Nov. 1. Now, he has to appear in court there by late Jan.

No word on how exactly the feds might know Pierce might've (allegedly) been at this specific location they're accusing him of being at -- but the clues might be on social media, including his own IG ... where he was documenting his Montana trip in early November.

There's also a photo that was posted to a popular aggregation page right around the same time that purportedly shows PB standing in the exact area park rangers say he was in. The IG page is called TouronsOfYellowstone (tourist/morons) and they highlight people screwing up while navigating the park. Here, you see a man standing near snow-covered springs.

Unclear where they snagged this pic -- but it sure looks like Bond based on what else he posted/was wearing that day. If it is in fact him, the evidence might be clear as day here.