Rocky Gravel and Ed Grenier are two popular guys this time of year. Hunters swarm their shop, G & G Custom Deer Cutting in Winslow, like a fast-food restaurant around lunch time, beginning in October each year. Business doesn't let up until December.

"This is the first deer I've ever had processed," said Dale Hanscom, of Clinton, who arrived at the shop with a grin and a 146-pound doe. "I usually do them myself. But last year, I tried some of their breakfast sausage and loved it. So here I am."

He continued on with his story, grin growing with each passing word.

"I shot her across a 10-acre field, probably 800 feet away," Hanscom said.

Rocky Gravel listened intently, nodding and smiling, all the while weighing the deer and preparing it for skinning.

Gravel, a captain at the Winslow Fire Department and co-owner of Precision Tree Cutting in town, sports a crop of gray hair, a white apron and a handshake that reminds you deer cutting isn't his only job.

"How much hamburg would you like? How many people will be eating per package? Breakfast, sweet or spicy sausage?"

They don't call it "custom" deer cutting for nothing, Gravel said.

Hanscom left the shop, content that his hard-earned venison was in good hands with Gravel and Grenier.

"Everyone tells their story when they come in here. I don't get to hunt much anymore, so for me, it's as much a thrill to hear the stories as it is to get out there myself," Gravel said.

DEER IN, VENISON OUT

Gravel and father-in law Grenier started their deer-cutting business 14 years ago. For $500 dollars the duo purchased equipment from and out-of-business cutting outfit, arming themselves with enough knives, winches and tackle to handle almost any deer or moose.

G & G Custom Deer Cutting opened Nov. 1, 1992, the day Gravel returned from his honeymoon in Florida.

"My wife still hasn't let me forget it," Gravel said.

Grenier, a 42-year veteran of Hannaford (formerly Shop 'n Save) supermarkets and long-time butcher, provides the meat-cutting expertise. Today, the families of both men are involved. Betty Grenier, Ed's wife, manages the finances, and helps package venison burger and steaks. Gravel's 7- and 11-year-old sons help skin deer and sticker packages.

In the greater Winslow area, Grenier and Gravel also keep close tabs on the hunting community -- and the state of the deer herd.

"We've been in business 14 years, and seen things slow down quite a bit over that time. We used to cut 220, 230 deer a season, and turn away at least that many. Some nights, we'd have 40 people lined up outside," Gravel said.

Last year, G & G cut 150 deer -- only a half-dozen or so crest 200 pounds.

"Our totals are down 70 or 80 from just a few years ago. At first, we didn't know why, but now its getting to the point where you can't say its just the weather," Gravel said.

Local Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife biologist Keel Kemper isn't surprised. In fact, he said it's part of a local management plan that has sought to reduce deer numbers in heavily populated areas of central Maine.

"We've been trying to thin down the herd in this area, and we've done it," Kemper said.

Gravel can vouch for that. He's certain there's fewer deer around than in years past -- and that hunter's are working harder than ever to bag a nice buck.

"They've got these management techniques, and apparently, they work," he said.

Even so, Gravel and Grenier still see enough deer each year to keep them busy. Many come from repeat customers.

Gravel said they work hard to earn customers' trust.

"A lot of people think, deer cutters always keep a package of steak or hamburg for themselves. Even if no one found out, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did that. I always treat people like I like to be treated," he said.

Grenier and Gravel pride themselves on a clean workplace. The rooms are immaculate, well-lit, and kept cool with air-conditioning when necessary.

"We clean everything every day . . . hose down the floors. You'll never see pools of blood lying around here, or hamburg left in the grinder from the previous day," Grenier said.

The men are convinced customers notice, and keep coming back.

"A lot of customers know where we keep the key. They can come by anytime and hang their deer," Gravel said.

MORE THAN FREE MEAT

Deer hunting in Maine is still big business. According to the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, over 200,000 hunters head to the woods each year.

A 1998 economic impact study completed by the University of Maine found that hunting created nearly 6,440 jobs, and that hunters were spending nearly half a billion dollars each year on such things as gas, firearms, lodging -- and of course, custom deer cutting.

But venison isn't just good for the economy. It's also good for your heart, according to Dora Anne Mills, director of Maine's Bureau of Health.

"The public health benefits are significant. These are wild animals running around, not just sitting there being fed grains and accumulating fat. Wild game has less fat, and less cholesterol," she said.

Hunters who enjoy their kill enjoy the ultimate in organic food, a growing trend in the United States. Wild deer aren't injected with antibiotics, or growth hormones, or anything else.

It's also affordable.

Gravel and Grenier keep their prices reasonable -- around 50 cents a pound, less for small deer, which yield less meat.

"You can generally count on getting about 45 or 50 percent of a deer's body weight in venison," he said. So a 200-pound deer might yield 100 or so pounds of meat -- more than enough to feed a family for the winter.

Gravel and Grenier said hunters with small families, or those who already have venison or moose meat in the freezer often donate it to charities. If hunters decide to donate their meat, G & G donates the processing.

"Last week, we had a hunter drop off an entire deer for charity. His brother-in-law had already shot a deer, and he didn't see the need for another," Grenier said.

"We've got some incredible sportsmen in this area. We're lucky," Gravel said.

And a couple of good deer cutters, too.

Dave Sherwood -- 621-5648

dsherwood@centralmaine.com