The Elusive Buck  I'm deer hunting with my friends Stephen, Jose, and Franco Ramos, my classmate Harry Melner, and others. We're in an open area with few trees. We see some deer, which are mostly does. I have some problems with my ammunition. The shells are sliced in two, the end is off-center, or they are deformed. They don't fit into the shotgun well. It's hard to discharge the shells intact without firing them. I walk with Stephen and others in a cornfield-like area. I was going to use the shotgun with the magnifying scope, but Stephen doesn't want me to. I end up with the black shotgun. We hear something run through the corn near us. I quickly sidestep into the rows to see if the deer is still there. It's not. We're on a road. A deer runs in front of us into the corn on the left. I don't see it: I was looking backwards. It's a big buck. I get really excited, and have buck fever. I see it run on the left side of the road, and try to get my sights on it. I see it on a hill, with its rear facing me. I get a bead on it and pull the trigger, but my gun doesn't fire. I think later that I didn't have a shell in the chamber. Stephen prods me about not shooting the deer. I defend myself, saying even if he would have seen it cross in front of us he wouldn't have had enough time to get off a good shot. I'm back near a shelter, which is my deer stand. Many people are around. Hunters are pushing the corn, which is like wheat with hard top stalks, so one can walk on it.