After stalking this buck through knee deep water, it swam across a deep channel and stepped up on an island. After a few minutes it gave me a 20 yard broadside shot and I released my arrow. The arrow smashed both shoulders and lodged just under the skin on the far side. He dropped right there and died quickly. It then got exciting as I tried to figure out how to retrieve him from the island in the middle of the pond. I ended up getting across the channel on a small log and tied a rope around his antlers. I then threw the rope across the channel, crawled back across my log, and dragged him across. While not a monstrous buck, this island blacktail gave me a hunting experience I will never forget.