Zombie Warfare Preparation: Booby Trap Zombies

Should the zombie apocalypse be upon us. We will face an relentless opponent who will stop at nothing to feast on our entrails and other vital organs. In a war against the undead, you need to have a firearm with you at all times or you're doomed.

Or do you?

If you're like me or like most people in Northeastern America, you don't own a gun. Owning a gun is either for hunters or for people who like to invest in their own personal security. Vegetarians and vegans have little reason to own a firearm. And during a Zombie apocalypse, a gun can be mighty handy. However, it is not necessarily required as a tool. With a little ingenuity, a little research, and a lot of sweat, you can prepare your home to be relatively safe haven against zombies.

Most of what you need to keep a small group of zombies away can be found in fishing supply store and The Home Depot. A showing in a few episodes of The Walking Dead, a small group of people armed with normal farming implements can do some serious damage to these disease filled stink bags.

• Fences - A sturdy fence is a Godsend for anyone trying to keep zombies away from their home. While a fence will eventually break under the weight of an army of single minded zombies, It will work quite well against three or four of them. At least well enough to keep them off your property until you can inspect the grounds.
• Alarms - Provided that you have a clear view of your surroundings, any motion sensing lights will bring a quick alert to any sentry scheduled for night guard duty. Zombies are not a clever bunch and are not well practiced in the art of stealth. Chances are if a zombie comes onto your property he will trigger any alarms you have set up. I recommend a combination of high tech and low tech solutions.
  
  The highest tech you need is either a remote webcam and or a motion sensing light and the lowest tech you need can be made using some fishing wire and a bunch of used cans. Should a zombie get by your fence, a smaller perimeter can be made with several yards of fifty pound fishing line tied to some posts and attached to any empty cans that will make noise anytime they are moved or dragged. If you don't see the zombie, you will certainly hear them.
• Dig a punji pit - A common booby trap can be made by simply digging a deep hole (at least six feet deep) and creating spikes (sharpened punji sticks) that you can set firmly into the ground. This will not kill the creature, but it will certainly immobilize it should it impale itself on the sticks. Even a miss onto the spike will trap the zombie in the pit.
• Make a snare trap - Snare traps are illegal when used for hunting animals, but I'm certain there is some wiggle room when you use them against the living dead. A snare trap is a improvisational device that uses a rope and a levering mechanism with a trigger. Any zombie that steps into the snare can be immobilized. Should you find a zombie hanging upside down from a tree in one of your traps, he can be disposed of easily.
• Nets - For this you'll need a large, strong net and a very long rope. Circle the rope around the border of the net, looping it through the holes around the edges. These traps can either be manually sprung or done through a snare like device. In either event, any zombie or group of zombies (under five zombies) that gets caught in one of these traps will be immobilized until you can dispose of them in your next grounds inspection.

What's great about these tactics is that you don't need to use a gun. A gun will make a noise that will attract a larger group of zombies. These traps work either silently or with very little noise. When a zombie has been caught, it is you who have the luxury of disposing of it. The traps will allow you to use a means that does not involve gunpowder. As the creature can not move toward you for attack, you can decapitate it with relative ease.

Decapitating the creature will only require the use of an axe. I recommend any axe that has a long handle which will give the wielder the most amount of torque to do the job. If you don't have an axe a large sledgehammer will do - in order to pulverize the zombie's brain.

Pitchforks can be a lethal weapon if they can be used like a hand spear. A pitchfork will puncture brain matter through an eye socket with relative ease. As your opponent has been immobilized either in a pit or in a tree, I recommend this approach as it can be done while the creature is still in the trap.

Guns make noise and are for people who have gotten used to not thinking. In this war against the undead, evening the odds is ultimately the best option after long distance stealth moves.

Booby traps like the ones listed above can be modified against this enemy as you don't need to really camouflage any of them. They can be out in the open and a zombie will not recognize it for what it is. This will aid in making them safe for the people who need to live on the perimeter of the property.

Regular property inspections are recommended to ensure that none of your prey gets loose and can be disposed of with little fuss.