ASSOCIATED PRESS Photo BY Michael Pineda Gary Chambers shows a collection of his duck callers, in Baytown. Chambers, a hunting enthusiast for 35 years, has parlayed his love of bagging waterfowl into a rare but interesting hobby: the collection of goose and duck calls.

BAYTOWN -- When hunting season ends, the action is only heating up for Baytown Animal Services Coordinator Gary Chambers.

Chambers, a hunting enthusiast for 35 years, has parlayed his love of bagging waterfowl into a rare but interesting hobby: the collection of goose and duck calls.

What began as an innocent purchase at a bait shop has turned into a collection that is larger than he would like his wife to know.

"It all started when I met a retired game warden who collected calls," Chambers said. "He had me start looking around for them and I began to collect them for myself. The first one that I bought was a Faulk's goose call.

"My line of work is animal-oriented and the idea of a human being communicating with a wild animal to bring it closer is amazing."

Chambers' collection of more than 500 calls is centered on items that have been used in the past.

Several of his calls can be dated to the end of the 19th century from craftsmen in the Midwest and the Chesapeake Bay. Those two areas have been natural hunting spots for outdoorsmen throughout the decades.

Chambers also places an extra emphasis on finding calls with Texas origins.

"There are not a lot of old waterfowl calls out there, not near as many as there are decoys," Chambers said. "Hunters would only buy one or two.

"And I also like the goose calls because they are more rare than duck calls."

In Chambers' collection, it is easy to see the evolution of the calls.

The first ones were patented in the 1860's and the styles were basic and made of wood. Now acrylic has taken the place of wood as its composition makes it more durable in the elements.

There is now more artistry involved as elaborate designs are etched on the calls. But throughout time, the techniques used to bag geese have remained the same.

The love of hunting was not passed down through the generations to Chambers.

Instead it was a junior high teacher that introduced him to the world of outdoor sportsmen and created a love that has carried Chambers from Hudson Bay to Mexico.

"I was fascinated and intrigued by it," Chambers said. "To this day it astounds me when the birds come in, the whole seasonal aspect of it.

"They call it a 'wild goose chase' for a reason. It is an intelligent creature with an extensive vocabulary that is taught to avoid human contact."

Chambers spends an average of 30 days a year hunting, mainly at a camp on the Guadalupe River. The rest of his free time is spent enjoying the hunt of that certain call that he finds irresistible.

"I have different areas that I focus on," Chambers said. "I focus on the call maker and I also focus on how unique the call is. I generally only pursue calls that have been used. There are calls that are investment grade."

Because of the scarcity of some calls, prices range as high as $4,000. That is a little too pricey for Chambers.

But the chase does lead him into spending more than he might have originally budgeted.

"I go into it not wanting to spend more than $100," Chambers said, "but then I start thinking, 'At a point 20 minutes ago, it was a call that I did not know existed, and now I can't live without it."'

Among the calls he prizes most are Earl Dennison calls, which are referred to as the "Stradivarius of Duck Calls" and Dwight Thomas calls that Chambers says is the "Holy Grail of Texas Calls."

The Internet has changed how things work, Chambers said.

"Before, you had collectors that would send a list of what they had and what they wanted. I would go from the mailbox to the phone and the call would already be sold," he said.

"Now the Internet has made them more available and it has actually driven prices down."