Game On: 24.7 Hunt Is Bringing the Black to Game Hunting

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but inclusivity and adequate representation are kind of a big deal—especially for anyone brave enough to infiltrate America’s forcefully white, nearly billion-dollar hunting and trapping industry. Of those courageous souls, only 3 percent of its participants can do the Electric Slide or recite their favorite quotes from The Wiz—which makes 24.7 Hunt’s commitment to the cause—and our culture—deeply rooted in necessity.

Comprised of Darryl Moore, Ricky Nicholas, Aubrey Mack, and their very own RZA of the clique, Ranar Moody, the Montezuma, Ga.-based collective is on a mission to “build community through the outdoors with an urban influence.” And in taking it upon themselves to ensure that “urban influence” is crystal clear, when they’re not hosting sold-out hunts (with hundreds of attendees) to kick off dove hunting season, these social media superstars rock designer clothes, peddle fly-ass merch, and spread the gospel of game hunting from behind the mic, via their popular Duck Music mixtape series. Because who doesn’t want to hear Moody rap about how he “wants to hunt every day, done it all my life” and that he “keeps that 40 by his side like 39?”

Much like the smothered quail they feast upon, the entire 24.7 Hunt movement is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Created seven years ago by Moody as a means to chronicle his family’s frequent hunting excursions, he eventually mustered the courage to quit his job as a project manager and transform his lifelong passion for hunting into a lucrative business venture—with a little help, of course.

“I met Ricky, Daryl, and Aubrey,” Moody explained to The Root. “It ain’t that many Black dudes on social media that duck hunt. So I hit ‘em up, bro. I was like, ‘We all got similar goals and it’s easier to get there together than separate.’ So once we started moving as a unit, 24.7 blew up.”

But as Moody is quick to note, none of his tremendous success would be possible without the foundation his father, Waldo, laid beforehand.

“My dad used to host dove hunts all the time,” Moody said. “Before social media, 24.7, and all that, people would come all the way from Atlanta or Alabama. So since my brand blew up, now it’s my responsibility to host them. They were big then, but now it’s on a different scale. So hopefully, when my son grows up, it’ll be something that he wants to do.”

There’s something magical about a group of unapologetically Black men being embraced by the greater hunting community, all while openly refusing to comprise who they are—a hard-fought luxury many of us can’t even begin to fathom. But with big-name supporters like former NFL player Stevan Ridley and country music superstar Morgan Wallen—yes, that Morgan Wallen—as well as popular brands like Can-Am, Yeti, Gunner Kennels, Sitka Gear, and others tripping over themselves to co-sign this flourishing movement, it’s abundantly clear that 24.7 Hunt is just getting started.

“It was a blessing for Can-Am to donate seven or eight vehicles for us to drive everybody out on the field [during our most recent dove hunt],” Waldo told The Root. “To pick people up and give them water. That means a lot to 24.7 Hunt to have a big company come in and say, ‘What do you guys need? We want to be a part of [this].’”

But to that end, you would think that with 24.7 Hunt hosting such massive events, it would provide brands like Can-Am with the perfect opportunity to market their 2024 Defender to an atypically diverse crowd. However, by not sending a single sales rep to reel in any of the hundreds of potential customers on hand, it’s not only a missed opportunity for these brands to diversify their customer base, but a perfect example of the war for respect and recognition that Moody and his courageous comrades continue to wage—despite their unparalleled success.

And if that battle for equitable treatment and representation within the hunting industry must persist, at least 24.7 Hunt is doing it on their own terms: still dripping in ice while bumping Duck Music 3 and Jeezy.

“I just want people to come see what we’re doing,” Moody said. “We’re welcoming and we relate to them. It’s just been a blessing. [...] We’ve had so many young Black dudes come. [It’s] just touching.”