Outdoors in RI: Busting the Myth That Liberals Don’t Hunt — Quiet Truths

The Myth of “No Liberals Who Hunt” — Quiet Support for the Tradition

When someone quips, “There are no liberals who hunt,” it sounds like cultural shorthand — the sort of political caricature that sticks easily in a divided America. But like most sweeping generalizations, it collapses under even modest scrutiny. From New England deer camps to Oregon elk country, there are liberals who hunt — and the data proves it.

And in Rhode Island, the story takes another twist: people overwhelmingly approve of hunting, even if few actually take part in it.

A Culture Misunderstood

Hunting has long been tied to imagery of rural conservatism: camouflage, pickup trucks, NRA stickers, and Second Amendment rallies. Yet in reality, hunting in the United States cuts across political lines, though unevenly.

A 2025 YouGov national survey found that 20% of Democrats said they have gone hunting at least once, compared with 41% of Republicans. Roughly one in five self-identified liberals have hunted.

The same survey found that 63% of Democrats approve of hunting for food (a figure that jumps to 85% among Republicans), showing that ethical and sustenance-based motivations often bridge ideological divides.

Where the biggest gap appears is in recreational hunting — only 13% of Democrats approve of hunting purely for sport, versus 35% of Republicans.

That difference, experts say, has less to do with guns or politics and more to do with motivation and values: conservation, local sourcing, and connection to nature versus competition or trophy tradition.

Who Hunts — and Where

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service estimates there were 14.4 million hunters nationwide in 2022 — roughly 5 to 6 percent of adults. Those numbers have declined slightly since the 1980s but remain steady in many rural areas.

Interestingly, several of America’s most politically “blue” states have high per-capita hunting participation:

• Maine – about 15.6 % of residents hold hunting licenses.

• Vermont – nearly 10 % of the population hunts.

• Minnesota and Oregon, both considered progressive states, also maintain strong hunting traditions.

As the outdoor platform LandTrust put it in a 2024 analysis: “Hunting doesn’t belong to one party — it belongs to geography.” Access to land, proximity to wildlife, and family tradition predict participation far better than ideology.

Attitudes vs. Participation

Nationwide, a 2024 study by the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports found that 76% of Americans approve of legal hunting, regardless of whether they hunt themselves. That broad support suggests hunting retains legitimacy even among those who lean left politically.

But when it comes to why people hunt, the ideological lens reappears. For many conservative hunters, the activity ties closely to identity — independence, self-reliance, and protection of gun rights. For liberal hunters, the draw often centers on sustainability and locally sourced food, echoing the broader “locavore” and farm-to-table movements.

In New York, one 2021 study of “locavores” found that nearly one in four were open to hunting as a means of sourcing ethical protein. In other words: many liberals who might once have rejected hunting are now reframing it through an environmental lens.

Shooting for Sport — Without the Hunt

It’s also worth noting that many Americans, across political lines, enjoy shooting sports that don’t involve killing animals — from trap and skeet shooting to target and competitive marksmanship. These Olympic-level sports emphasize skill, precision, and discipline rather than harvest. Participation in recreational shooting has grown steadily, even among urban residents, and often includes individuals who oppose or abstain from hunting.

For some, the range or clay field serves the same social and meditative function that others find in golf or archery — an outlet for focus and stress relief rather than field pursuit.

Rhode Islanders: High Approval, Low Participation

In Rhode Island, a new state survey shows a similar paradox: residents broadly support hunting, even if few actually hunt.

According to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM), about 73% of Rhode Islanders strongly or moderately approve of legal, regulated hunting.
That figure closely matches the national average — an impressive statistic for one of the most urbanized states in the country.

Approval rates rise even higher among men (81%) and residents aged 35–54 (78%), according to a DEM summary cited by the National Rifle Association’s Hunters’ Leadership Forum. Support was strongest in small towns and rural areas, where about 77% expressed approval.

Interestingly enough,

• 34% of the state might be in those large, less-fragmented forest blocks (i.e., “undeveloped” forest in a sense of core forest).

• That leaves ~41% of forested land (~380,000 acres minus core) that is more fragmented or nearer development/roads.

Even though Rhode Island retains more than 200,000 acres of core forest, very little of it is legally huntable or publicly accessible. Much sits on private land or conservation tracts closed to hunting, meaning bowhunters often compete for limited parcels. This helps explain why participation stays low even when statewide approval is high.

Bowhunting is also viewed as safer in suburbanized states like Rhode Island. Bows have a limited range — usually under 50 yards — making them ideal for managing deer populations in areas where firearm discharge is impractical or prohibited. This reality makes bowhunting the quiet workhorse of suburban wildlife management.

A Very Small Hunting Community

In practice, though, Rhode Island ranks near the bottom nationally for active hunters.
Only about 0.7 paid hunting licenses per 100 residents are issued — roughly 8,000 licensed hunters statewide, according to a 2024 analysis by Stacker. Over the past two decades, participation has dropped nearly 40 percent.

By comparison, Maine and Vermont see participation rates exceeding 10–15 percent of their populations.
With Rhode Island’s dense suburban landscape, limited open land, and strict firearm laws, hunting opportunities are more limited than in northern New England.

Still, for those who do hunt, satisfaction is high: a 2022 DEM hunter-sentiment study found 72% of deer hunters were satisfied with their experience and credited effective game management and wildlife access.

A Cultural Divide, Not a Moral One

Experts say the “approval vs. participation” gap isn’t about ideology — it’s about geography and access.
Rhode Island’s urban and coastal footprint leaves little room for large tracts of huntable land, and many residents lack the family networks or mentorship that sustain hunting traditions in rural states.

Yet support for hunting remains rooted in conservation logic. Rhode Islanders often see hunting as a management tool, not a cultural statement — a way to balance deer populations, prevent ecological damage, and encourage local food sourcing.

That helps explain why support for hunting for food remains strong, while enthusiasm for trophy or sport hunting is far lower.

Shooting Sports in the Ocean State

Where traditional hunting numbers lag, shooting sports fill the gap.
Across Rhode Island, residents take part in trap, skeet, target, and competitive marksmanship, often through private clubs or organized leagues. These sports focus on skill, precision, and safety — and appeal to both hunters and non-hunters alike.

Nationally, participation in these non-lethal marksmanship activities has risen, especially among suburban and urban populations. For Rhode Islanders who support hunting in principle but prefer not to pursue live game, the range offers a way to practice responsibility, focus, and tradition in a controlled environment.

Economic and Environmental Impact

Despite small participation numbers, hunting and shooting sports contribute meaningfully to Rhode Island’s economy.
A 2025 report found that the state’s firearms and ammunition industry generated over $350 million in total economic activity, supporting jobs, retailers, and tax revenue.

Hunters and anglers together purchase about 70,000 licenses, tags, and permits each year, generating more than $235 million in annual economic impact and directly funding conservation programs through federal excise taxes and fees.

A look at Bowhunting – a growing interest among the young – younger and more female

RI DEM – Annual Turkey Shoot with the Light Foundation

Each year around this time of year we do a story about bow-hunting for turkeys. Occasionally we receive a negative comment or two about young people posing with their “catch” after a 2-day training program. We thought we would take a look at the data.

Nationally, archery participation looks very different from traditional hunting — and is often younger, more female, and more politically diverse.

The Archery Trade Association reports that the average U.S. recreational archer is between 18 and 34, and nearly 40% of all archers are female, one of the highest female-participation rates of any outdoor sport. This means the pipeline into bowhunting is actually coming from a demographic traditionally viewed as “less hunting-oriented.”

Rhode Island follows this pattern: DEM’s youth archery and bow safety classes frequently fill to capacity, especially in rural communities like Exeter, Glocester, and parts of South County. Clubs report that many kids in archery programs never hunt, but they still identify strongly with the sport as a discipline.

This younger demographic is exactly why bow sports — even if not bowhunting — are growing in Rhode Island despite low overall hunting license numbers.

According to the Archery Trade Association (ATA), Rhode Island is listed as having about 2,351 bowhunters.

The 2022 national survey by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service shows broad participation in hunting (including bow hunting) by age groups at the national level: e.g., the age-17 group had a 38 % participation rate in hunting and fishing together; 18-24 had 33 %.

In Rhode Island, the minimum legal age to purchase a bow-hunting license is 12 years old (with completion of required safety/education course).

There are scholarship opportunities for bow-hunting youth and – in the non-hunting modality – skill awards and training, including some as an after-school activity in the state – again, mostly in more rural communities.

In Rhode Island, many parents say they are more comfortable with their children beginning with bows instead of firearms, citing lower noise, less stigma, and a greater emphasis on skill and precision.

As one DEM range instructor summarized: “A rifle rewards confidence; a bow rewards patience.” That value system resonates across political lines — including with families who may not hunt at all.

The Bigger Picture

The national myth – and one expressed most often in a country polarized and divided into “liberals and conservatives” is that “liberals don’t hunt” fades under closer inspection.

Residents strongly support the idea of hunting, recognize its conservation value, and participate enthusiastically in shooting sports — even if they rarely head into the woods themselves.

In short, Rhode Islanders are not anti-hunting; they’re non-hunting supporters — people who respect the tradition, see its purpose, and uphold it as part of the state’s outdoor heritage.

So next time someone says “there are no liberals who hunt,” the facts — and Rhode Island’s quiet consensus and nuance — suggest otherwise.

Hunting in Rhode Island isn’t partisan — it’s personal. And bow sports, with their quiet discipline and accessibility, are opening the door for a new generation of participants who may never have seen themselves as “hunters” at all. Whether they ultimately enter the woods or stay on the range, these Rhode Islanders are preserving a tradition that transcends political labels — proving once again that the outdoors doesn’t belong to one side or the other. It belongs to everyone willing to step into it.

Sources

• YouGov, Which Animals Do Americans Think Are Fair Game for Hunters? (Aug 2025)

• Council to Advance Hunting & Shooting Sports / Responsive Management, Americans’ Attitudes Toward Hunting and Sport Shooting (2024–25)

• Rhode Island DEM, Residents’ Attitudes Toward Hunting and Recreational Shooting (2024)

• Rhode Island DEM, Hunter Sentiment Study (2022)

• U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation (2022)

• Stacker, Number of Registered Hunters by State (2024)

• Game & Fish Magazine, Rhode Island Deer Forecast 2024

• Rhode Island Revolver & Rifle Association, Economic Impact of Firearms Industry (2025)

• LandTrust, Beyond Politics: Hunting Participation in Liberal vs. Conservative States (2024)