Gerard Braud woke up at 5 a.m. on Jan. 4, 2026 and randomly decided to go hunting at the Bonnet Carré Spillway. It would be his first solo deer hunt, and he had only gone with someone one other time. After falling asleep in the first spot he was at, he woke up and decided to move on to a new spot. As he was coming to the next spot, he saw deer antlers through brush moving across the canal. He waited until the buck got even and took his shot.