According to the Multistate Conservation Grant (MSCG) funded dashboard project, hunting licenses have declined to pre-pandemic levels. These declines are national, but particularly apparent in the Midwest, where 2021 vs 2022 sales declined 2.5% for 11 reporting states. Another recent MSCG examining the age-period-cohort effect on license sales2 showed that cohort (generational) effects were the strongest drivers in participation. An entire cohort of hunters (baby boomers) are getting older, and they are dropping out with declines becoming more precipitous as they age. Simply, we can’t stop the aging process, but there are regulatory tools we can use to slow the decline in participation. While younger hunters have been a primary focus for recruitment efforts, too little attention has been paid to keeping older licensed customers engaged and participating. Once a person quits, it is difficult to bring them back, regardless of the activity. Retention, whether in the consumer market or R3 community, is much easier and less costly than creating new customers. Historic opposition from both stakeholders and agency staff to some regulatory tools (e.g., crossbows for deer, game attractants, longer seasons) has presented hurdles; while changes in one’s social and lifestyle preferences after middle-age may make it easier for competing activities to capture our hunters’ time and attention. For example, in the Midwest, there are ample hunting opportunities for both big and small game, as licenses are easily available, and bag limits (particularly for deer) often exceed the number of animals a person is willing to take in a year. Consequently, while opportunities are readily available, individuals are still dropping out. Given the overall decline in hunter numbers, particularly among older hunters, there is a need to better understand the limitations, motivations, and preferences of older hunters. This information is critical, and the knowledge gained can become part of states’ retention efforts, to extend customers’ years of participation. The purpose of this project is to retain licensed hunters for a longer period of time. State agencies’ are the intended beneficiaries. Work will be accomplished by first working with state biologists and R3 managers to identify hunting statutes and rules that present barriers or opportunities for older hunters and related issues. We will then conduct qualitative and quantitative assessments of hunters at least 50 years old to determine potential solutions management strategy to facilitate their continued participation. Once complete, we will disseminate recommendations and research findings to the R3 community in reader-friendly formats. The outcome will be greater numbers of people hunting annually. There are no sub-recipients in this project.