The Hunter Spotlight Series | Rue Mapp
Honored to have this week's Hunter Spotlight Series take us to the west coast...where we feature the incomparable Rue Mapp of Outdoor Afro.
By Cliff Cadet | Equalized Outdoors Newsroom
Name: Rue Mapp
Hometown: Oakland, California
Currently Residing: Vallejo, California
What is your favorite wild game to hunt?
"Wild duck. There’s something about sitting quietly in a marsh or flooded rice field in California’s Central Valley that brings me a special sense of peace. I love the stillness of those early mornings, watching the sky change, hearing the wetlands come alive, and waiting for the birds to move. Of course, there’s the excitement when the ducks finally come in, but so much of what I love about waterfowl hunting happens before a shot is ever taken. It’s the landscape, the anticipation, and simply being present in that environment."
Did you grow up hunting? Or did you take up the sport as an adult?
"I grew up with hunting as part of my family’s outdoor life. My family had a ranch in Lake County, California, and hunting, fishing, gardening, and spending time on the land were simply part of how we experienced nature. But I became much more intentional about hunting as an adult. It has given me a way to reconnect with some of those early experiences while continuing to build my own skills and traditions."
What's your hunting weapon of choice?
"My Beretta A400 Xtreme Plus semi-automatic 12-gauge shotgun, which I call “Quantika.” I’ve used her for both duck and pheasant hunting, and she has become my trusted firearm in the field. I appreciate the reliability and performance of the A400, especially for waterfowl hunting. There’s also something about becoming really familiar with one firearm, knowing how it handles and developing confidence with it over time. Quantika and I have had some good adventures together!"
What's your dream hunt and what makes it so appealing?
"My dream is to hunt upland birds on horseback with my mustang, True Haven, and my Labrador, Boogie, working alongside us. I’m developing both my horsemanship and my relationship with True, while Boogie has been trained as a hunting dog, so bringing all three of us together in the field would be pretty extraordinary.
I love the idea of moving across open country on horseback, watching Boogie work the birds, and experiencing the hunt as a team. It brings together so many things I love: animals, hunting, skill, landscape, and partnership. And frankly, it would be pretty badass!"
You're the founder and CEO of Outdoor Afro. For those unfamiliar with outdoor/conservation organizations, what is Outdoor Afro and what prompted its creation?
"Outdoor Afro is a national not-for-profit organization that celebrates and inspires Black connections and leadership in nature. I founded Outdoor Afro in 2009 because the prevailing narrative at the time suggested that Black people weren’t connected to the outdoors. That simply didn’t reflect my life or the experiences of so many Black families and communities I knew. I grew up camping, fishing, hiking, hunting, and spending time on our family ranch in Northern California. The connection was already there. What was missing was visibility, connection, and a national platform.
"Now in our 18th year, Outdoor Afro has grown into a national, staffed organization and institution built to last. Each year, we recruit and train about 100 volunteers who help us reach roughly 60,000 participants through outdoor experiences across the country. Our Making Waves program has awarded about 7,000 “Swimmerships,” helping children and adults learn the lifesaving and life-enhancing skill of swimming. And our Outdoor Afro app has already grown to more than 27,000 users, creating another way for people to find community and get outdoors.
"I’m proud that what began with a simple idea has become durable infrastructure for our community. There are many wonderful individuals and emerging efforts doing important work in the outdoor space today. Outdoor Afro has had the privilege of nearly two decades to build something at an institutional scale, with staff, programs, technology, a national volunteer network, and the capacity to serve people year after year. That longevity matters to me because this work was never intended to be about one person. We are building an organization meant to endure for generations."
How have your outdoor experiences shaped your work with Outdoor Afro? "Outdoor Afro is deeply connected to my own experiences in nature. The outdoors has always been a place where I could learn, develop skills, spend time with family and community, and discover what I was capable of doing.
"Those experiences taught me that people don’t necessarily need to be persuaded that nature matters. Often, they simply need an invitation, some practical knowledge, and people they trust to help them get started. That insight has shaped Outdoor Afro from the beginning. We create opportunities for people to develop real outdoor skills, relationships, confidence, and ultimately the ability to pursue their own interests in nature."
I'm from NYC and I've always felt there to be a disconnect between city dwellers and outdoor spaces. How could Outdoor Afro help bridge that gap?
"One of the misconceptions we’ve worked hard to challenge is the idea that nature is somewhere you have to travel hours outside a city to find. Outdoor Afro was actually born in Oakland, so an urban relationship with nature is central to our story.
"Nature can begin with the park down the street, a shoreline, a bike trail, a community
garden, or a body of water accessible by public transportation. From there, people can expand into camping, hiking, paddling, fishing, skiing, hunting, or whatever interests them.
"What often bridges the gap isn’t geography. It’s familiarity. Going someplace new with someone who knows where to park, what to bring, what trail to take, and what to expect can completely change the experience. That’s one of the reasons our volunteer network is so important. People help people discover what is already available to them and build the confidence to explore farther."
Outdoor Afro has ventured into creating outdoor apparel. What was the inspiration behind the clothing?
"The apparel grew out of my own experience and a belief that outdoor clothing should deliver on more than technical performance, while never compromising it. I was never interested in simply slapping the Outdoor Afro logo on something inexpensive and calling it outdoor apparel. The products needed to meet a high technical standard and perform for the activities and environments they were designed for.
"But I also strongly believed that fit, style, color, and swagger matter. People should be able to bring their own sense of style and personality outdoors, rather than feeling they have to adopt a particular “outdoorsman” or “outdoorswoman” look to be taken seriously.
"For me, being outdoors isn’t a separate identity. It’s part of a whole life. So the goal has always been to create pieces that perform when you need them to, fit beautifully, bring personality into the experience, and transition naturally through the rest of your life. Performance and swagger don’t have to be mutually exclusive."
As an experienced outdoorsperson, what's one piece of advice you'd offer someone new to the space?
"Start where you are and give yourself permission to be a beginner.
"You don’t need the most expensive gear, an extreme adventure, or years of expertise to have a meaningful relationship with the outdoors. Find something that genuinely interests you, learn the basic skills you need to do it safely, and go with people who can help you grow.
"Competence comes through experience. Every experienced outdoorsperson was once the person who didn’t know what to pack, how to read the trail, cast the line, paddle the boat, or make the shot. Curiosity, preparation, and time outside will take you a very long way."
And that is this week's Hunter Spotlight Series featuring Rue Mapp. To learn more about Outdoor Afro, visit: outdoorafro.org and on Instagram, @outdoorafro
You can also find Rue Mapp on Instgram: @ruemapp
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