New Anti-Deer Fence Invented By Gardener

March 15, 2007 The Star-Ledger Archive COPYRIGHT © The Star-Ledger 2007 BUSINESS Edition: Hunterdon County Democrat   Bob Hannigan shows off the easy-open gate on the fence system he invented. He claims his design is an easy, attractive way to keep deer and rabbits out of backyard gardens.

Bob Hannigan of Readington Township says he's got a new weapon for the war between gardeners and deer. The entrepreneur and his partner, Amit Doshi of Horsham, Pa., have developed a modular, reusable fence system they call the Garden Defender.

Mr. Hannigan says the idea came from his own experience with deer, rabbits and gardening in Hunterdon County. "You can grow vegetables and you can be successful for a month or month and a half, then in one night it's all gone."

The Garden Defender is made up of 4-foot-tall panels that link together. Mr. Hannigan says it's easier to set up, tear down and store than chicken wire or rolled fence. "It takes about a half an hour to put together the first time," he said, "it's all very simple."

The basic set, which retails for $249, makes an 8-by-10-foot enclosure. Larger sets are available or you can combine more than one set to cover more area. Mr. Hannigan says that while you can get material from a hardware store for less money, "you can't use it year after year, and this looks a lot nicer."

In fact, aesthetic value was one of the things driving Mr. Hannigan to create the Garden Defender. His wife, apparently, did not think that sagging chicken wire nailed to posts went well with the landscaping. He and Mr. Doshi decided that a more subtle light-green fence would help preserve their marriages as well as their tomatoes.

Because the fencing is bolted together and staked down, says Mr. Hannigan, deer or rabbits can't move it. Although deer can leap a 4-foot fence, they are afraid to get trapped and usually avoid jumping into confined spaces.

The Garden Defender is available online at www.gardendefender.com and the inventors plan to have it in stores for 2008. For more info go to the Web site or call Bob Hannigan at 908-284-2160.

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