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The senior Swoveland had run a muzzleloader gun shop called The Mountain Man for nearly 50 years with a sense of humor and a sharp tongue.

The rustling in the brush was loud, so Brian Christman raised his muzzleloader for the deer he expected to emerge.

But he returned with a muzzleloader, a single-shot gun that requires the bullet, primer and powder be loaded through the muzzle before firing.

Marine, said “I’ve never used a muzzleloader before, and certainly couldn’t load one in the dark in a storm with a mad moose.”

Hunters weren’t quite as successful during the regular firearm and muzzleloader seasons, but final harvest numbers for those seasons will be close to or above average the 10-year average.