Recreational target shooting is a fun and safe activity enjoyed by millions of Americans each year. It is also an extremely important funding source for wildlife conservation. Recent research on recreational target shooting participation shows some good news and some bad news. Outdoor Stewards of Conservation Foundations’ Welcome New Shooters research, funded by Multistate Conservation Grant F24AP00304, shows that 70 million Americans have expressed interest in giving recreational target shooting a try for the first time, which is great news for recruitment efforts. On the other hand, the National Shooting Sports Foundations’ 2025 research entitled Firearm Ownership and Sport Shooting Participation reveals an alarming fact that overall participation in recreational target shooting has declined 17 percent from 63.5 million participants in 2022 to 52.7 million participants in 2024, which is bad news for current participation and future excise tax collections. Excise taxes collected on firearms and ammunition average approximately one billion dollars annually. Research from Southwick Associates shows that 74 percent of excise taxes on firearms and ammunition comes from nonhunting purposes such as recreational target shooting. That means nearly 740 million dollars in annual excise taxes could decrease substantially if target shooting participation continues to decline. With the future of participation and excise tax collections on the line, it is important for wildlife agencies and the firearms and ammunition industry to know why target shooting participation declined and what can be done to improve overall participation moving forward. The main purpose of this project is to conduct a comprehensive nationwide survey of recently lapsed target shooters to identify the primary reason participation in recreational target shooting has declined. Expected results from this project will provide a much needed clear picture as to why participation has declined and the recommended actions to take that will help increase future participation in recreational target shooting. Deliverables include a comprehensive final report and webinar outlining key insights and recommendations. This project will benefit wildlife agencies and the firearms and ammunition industry. The grant team has a combined 35 years of experience conducting research including several projects from similar federally funded grants for hunting target shooting and the outdoor space. Our experience along with a streamlined approach allows for extensive cost savings while providing highly valuable data.