They also will plot where the elk are being killed by hunters in space and time.

“We want to know on a daily basis where the gut piles are,” Ebinger said. “We’re not interested in the elk gut piles, but in how the grizzly bears respond to them. They can be a very attractive resource.”

Perhaps most unusual, Ebinger will find out how hunters and grizzly bears interact — how they influence each other — by comparing the data from GPS-collared bears to GPS units loaned to hunters to track their whereabouts.

All GPSed

To begin the study, this summer the study team attached GPS collars to eight bears.

To track elk hunters, the study team has asked them to voluntarily carry and return 100 GPS units that can track their routes. After a day’s use, the units can be dropped off, their information downloaded, and the GPSes are recharged and sent out again. To encourage cooperation, participants will be entered in a raffle.

“We’ve had a really great response,” Ebinger said.