Simple zombie killing tactics

ScumLord

Come up with the simplest way of killing zombies that you can think of. We've far too many elaborate plans for large forts and zombie bio diesel we need back to basics smarts too.


2 men, a stick and a rock.

Zombies will have terrible balance for the most part, one man with a large stick (or something along the lines of a shovel or pitchfork) uses the stick to push the zombie over, the second guy drops the rock (or if he wants to be fancy uses a sledgehammer) to squish the zombies head.

Would this simple plan work? Can you think of something easier?

thegreatiam

use hammer smash head. you're over thinking it.

ScumLord

thegreatiam wrote: »

use hammer smash head. you're over thinking it.

It's more risky getting close enough to use a hammer, there's also the worry of infection and I think you'd use more energy swinging a hammer, it will take a few blows to crack a skull whereas the sledge on a downed opponent would allow the sledge to do the work for you.

thegreatiam

i meant having a team and a tactic was being too complicated.

Besides, even a relatively fit guy can only swing a sledgehammer a few time before tiring. They use them in gyms for this reason. a smaller hammer will break open a skull with less effort and you will be able to do it over and over all day.
sledge will also need to be carried to the place of killing and then ported around which is tiring. they are slow, tricky to aim due to their weight and easily can miss a moving zombie head risking your partner who may incur a bite. or you may just take his head off in the process.

as for a rock you have all the same problems plus rocks are a pain to pick up and carry, even more so when covered in zombie goo.

the best and simplest tactic I have seen is in TWD series. a press of zombies against a chain fence, poke em in the brain with a long knife. repeat until tea time

ScumLord

thegreatiam wrote: »

i meant having a team and a tactic was being too complicated.

Besides, even a relatively fit guy can only swing a sledgehammer a few time before tiring. They use them in gyms for this reason. a smaller hammer will break open a skull with less effort and you will be able to do it over and over all day.

I think TV has ruined our appreciation for just how effective the skull is, it's even more effective in a zombie because the zombie won't suffering brain swelling. The skull survives many knocks with the brain damage coming from the brain rattling around inside the skull. I don't feel confident a claw hammer will break through the skull with one blow, it will take a few consecutive blows in the same spot to break open the skull. The sledge used properly would require one hit, when used properly the sledge is doing the work for you, all you need to do is raise it and let it fall with technique to generate massive forces.

sledge will also need to be carried to the place of killing and then ported around which is tiring.

That's true, which is why it was the fancy option.

they are slow, tricky to aim due to their weight and easily can miss a moving zombie head risking your partner who may incur a bite. or you may just take his head off in the process.

Your partner would be away from the zombie using the stick to pin it to the ground. The rock guy and stick guy are far enough away from each other to prevent accidental strikes or bites.

as for a rock you have all the same problems plus rocks are a pain to pick up and carry, even more so when covered in zombie goo.

The great thing about the rock is you don't have to carry one around, you just source locally as needed and leave it behind you when done, it's the disposable weapon.

the best and simplest tactic I have seen is in TWD series. a press of zombies against a chain fence, poke em in the brain with a long knife. repeat until tea time

I don't think that will work at all. First of all you're in contact with zombie fluids and have a very high risk infection, going back to the strength of the skull too I don't think it would at all easy to put a knife through it easily. Skulls are extremely good at deflecting blows due to it's shape.

thegreatiam

other problems being,
your partner may not even be able to get zombie on the ground with a stick.
dont forget it will be rushing towards both of you and youll need to make sure it goes to the correct one. Its weight is going to be moving forward and youll need to knock it back to knock it over, or move to the side to trip it (if the zombie moves fast enough, if not then it will turn towards you.)

it ill be grabbing hold of the stick in order to get to you. its not a simple matter or poking it and it falls over.
Try to knockover a man moving towards you with a stick, it wont be easy or predictable.
then, if your partner gets it down how do you get close enough to effectively raise the sledge and accurately hit a moving skull first time. Despite sledges being quite long, they are only 3/4 feet. easily with range of a flailing zombie.
FFS at the gym last Friday I missed a tyre twice and that trye wasn't trying to eat me! ;-) and btw, im not a fit person, but I could only manage 30+ decent strikes with a sledge, admittedly those are fast with little rest in between, but most of the hits I made wouldn't break a rats skull.

also, once its down, what keeps it down? does your partner need to pin it? in that case you'll need one of those sticks used for animal control to try and maneuver the zombie. Which is great if there is 100% guarantee that there is only one zombie. If another one appears then you are a sitting duck with a zombie on a lead. pretty awkward to move safely with a zombie on a lead.

While I can see why you like the idea, and in a controlled environment it could be effective for a lone walker (say you have a walled camp and one came in)
there is too much potential for it to go wrong.

zombie wont go down, zombie wont stay down, sledge misses, sledge guy gets tired, multiple zombies appear. zombie takes pokie stick from partner and walks him round like an ice lolly.

I don't think that will work at all. First of all you're in contact with zombie fluids and have a very high risk infection, going back to the strength of the skull too I don't think it would at all easy to put a knife through it easily. Skulls are extremely good at deflecting blows due to it's shape.

I don't see how you're in contact from zombie fluids doing this , but not when you splatter his head with a sledge.

put a mask on and a waterproof jacket and gloves.

as for the strength of the skull, you spike through the soft areas. eyes ears etc Spike goes in the soft bit, wiggle it around to scramble the contents and slide it back out again. If you can't access the soft bits easily then no worry. The zombie is against a fence, don't need to take a risk to kill it, just spike the next and move on.

You can easily rig a spike with a guard over the handle to prevent splash back and to stop your hand flying through the fence.

I would even look into some kind of bolt gun like they would use in an abattoir, (no country for old men springs to mind here ) that sort of thing would be perfect, if not then some drill or other similar piece of farm/construction equipment.

Also you are behind the fence and relatively safe from immediate harm.

degrassinoel

Man 1 Wields Stick
Man 2 Holds Rock

Man 2 Lures zombie, Man 1 remains hidden or motionless until within 3-5 feet then Sideswipes zombie legs with Stick.

Man 2 Crushes Zombie Skull with rock. If a miss, use stick to pin zombie until both men are safely away. Retry, alternatively (and less bloody maybe) use Rock as a hammer, and Stick as a nail. hammer nail into safely restricted Zed skull.


Well, that was more violent than i originally figured.

thegreatiam

Its a 3 man job if youre doing a trip and brain tactic.
Man one armed with a 2 pronged pitch fork or similar. His job is to lure the zed and get th3 fork around its neck. So he can maneuver it.
Man 2. The tripper. Armed with a tarp. Sack or net. His job is to trip the zombie once man one has it held. A kick or put an object behind the legs. Once its down tarp goes over the head and arms which prevents an immediate bite. Man one and man 2 stand on tarp either side of zombie so it cant get up.
Man 3 the look out. Directs man 1 and 2 while keeping watch for danger. Once its down and pinned man 3 makes the killing blow with weapon Of choice.
This way there is always back up. The zombie is easier to get on the ground and 2 people can hold it while the 3rd is un hindered for the kill

degrassinoel

there are only 2 men, improvise!

RoyalMarine

that would work, the stick and rock idea, but only if it's one zombie at a time. any more than one and it's a bad idea

thegreatiam

degrassinoel wrote: »

there are only 2 men, improvise!

you need 3 men to make sure that the zombie doesnt get up, and to keep watch so you dont get taken by suprise and have 2+ zombies, i woulnt do anything like this without at least 3 people. I would even have a 5th peron solely on look out in a tree.

with 2 men you need to prepare:
You need a 360 degree clearing with a good 30 feet to the edge, 2 escape routes.

dig a hole, 6 feet long, 2 feet wide and about 1.5 feet deep. 2 large rocks, one at the foot and one at the head.

When you spear the zombie force it backwards into the hole tripping over the rock.

now it can flail about but will have trouble standing. meaning you can hold it in place with the stick and brain it with little risk.


also you need the right tools, you need a pitch fork with 2 prongs to hold the zombie securely


(you can improvise the hole with a box made from logs, the idea is just to make it impossible for the zombie to get back up so you can position your selves safely to kill it. )

degrassinoel

thegreatiam wrote: »

you need 3 men to make sure that the zombie doesnt get up, and to keep watch so you dont get taken by suprise and have 2+ zombies, i woulnt do anything like this without at least 3 people. I would even have a 5th peron solely on look out in a tree.

with 2 men you need to prepare:
You need a 360 degree clearing with a good 30 feet to the edge, 2 escape routes.

dig a hole, 6 feet long, 2 feet wide and about 1.5 feet deep. 2 large rocks, one at the foot and one at the head.

When you spear the zombie force it backwards into the hole tripping over the rock.

now it can flail about but will have trouble standing. meaning you can hold it in place with the stick and brain it with little risk.


also you need the right tools, you need a pitch fork with 2 prongs to hold the zombie securely


(you can improvise the hole with a box made from logs, the idea is just to make it impossible for the zombie to get back up so you can position your selves safely to kill it. )

read the OP dude.

thegreatiam

degrassinoel wrote: »

read the OP dude.

I have, dude. my point is that the zombie isnt goring to simply be poked to the ground. and if you can get it down it wont stay down.

Its extremely difficult to knock a man over with a stick from the front, he''l be grabbing at it, knocking it away etc. then you have to actually knock him down. he will push against you.

even with poor motor control a zombie will be hard to get down in this manner.

If you can get them down like this they will gt up again, its even harder to keep someone on the ground with a stick. they will bat it aside and stand up. That doesn't even take into account that you cant get close as it is trying to kill you.

hence why it takes more than two. If you dont have the men you need some other method to get them down and keep them there.

degrassinoel

thegreatiam wrote: »

I have, dude. my point is that the zombie isnt goring to simply be poked to the ground. and if you can get it down it wont stay down.

Its extremely difficult to knock a man over with a stick from the front, he''l be grabbing at it, knocking it away etc. then you have to actually knock him down. he will push against you.

even with poor motor control a zombie will be hard to get down in this manner.

If you can get them down like this they will gt up again, its even harder to keep someone on the ground with a stick. they will bat it aside and stand up. That doesn't even take into account that you cant get close as it is trying to kill you.

hence why it takes more than two. If you dont have the men you need some other method to get them down and keep them there.

RoyalMarine

chumba wamba playing in anyone else's mind right now reading thegreatiam's post?

Kromdar

given that zombies are pretty 'tarded, does anyone think a tripwire [as in, to trip them up, not set something off] would work? you move away from them, they chase, you hop said wire; and while they snot themselves you come back and "rock to the head" them
eliminates the need for the stick guy. for all our antisocial survivors out there.

Denis322

I've wondered if just going around carrying a baseball bat or hockey stick with a big nail type thing through it would work? I know it's not exactly an original idea, but so long as you have a good enough aim to hit them in the head, it should penetrate with a lot less effort than an axe, and take less effort to pull out. If it worked the way I imagine it working then in my mind it'd be the easiest way for one man to fcuk **** up!

ScumLord

thegreatiam wrote: »

other problems being,
your partner may not even be able to get zombie on the ground with a stick.
dont forget it will be rushing towards both of you and youll need to make sure it goes to the correct one. Its weight is going to be moving forward and youll need to knock it back to knock it over, or move to the side to trip it (if the zombie moves fast enough, if not then it will turn towards you.)

We seem to be working with two different types of zombies.

A zombie won't be rushing towards you all that often, after one or two days of overexertion they'll have blown out all their muscles and their inner ear will be shot giving them terrible balance. It will be like dealing with someone that's inebriated.

Try to knockover a man moving towards you with a stick, it wont be easy or predictable.

But the point again is that a man is a completely different kettle of fish to a dead man.

FFS at the gym last Friday I missed a tyre twice and that trye wasn't trying to eat me! ;-) and btw, im not a fit person, but I could only manage 30+ decent strikes with a sledge, admittedly those are fast with little rest in between, but most of the hits I made wouldn't break a rats skull.

It's two different types of uses though. Your intention is to wear yourself out for fitness purposes. If you're swinging a sledge to break something you can do it without wasting anywhere near as much energy using the proper technique. People used to spend their entire day swinging a sledge for work.

also, once its down, what keeps it down?

Once a zombie goes down it will more than likely never be able to get up again. Without the inner ear to give balance and the lack of energy to fight against the stick will make it like an upturned turtle.

While I can see why you like the idea, and in a controlled environment it could be effective for a lone walker (say you have a walled camp and one came in)
there is too much potential for it to go wrong.

It would be only useful when you have the time, so it's only going to work on a small collective that gives you the time to move between zombies.

I don't see how you're in contact from zombie fluids doing this , but not when you splatter his head with a sledge.

The zombie can just spit in your face, when you put the knife in goo will come spurting out. If the zombies bite is infectious then all bodily fluids are infectious. I don't think they'll need to bite you to infect you, all they'll need to do is break the skin or get some of their bodily fluids into your eyes or mouth/nose.

as for the strength of the skull, you spike through the soft areas. eyes ears etc Spike goes in the soft bit, wiggle it around to scramble the contents and slide it back out again.

I don't think that's as easy as it sounds. The brain cavity is a fairly secure area, the canal that the optical nerve uses is fairly small same with the ear, I don't think there is a direct straight hole going from the ear canal to the brain cavity. look at a side view of the skull, it's just a flat bit of skull where the ear is. Then look at the eye socket, there's a flat piece of bone there with slots for the nerve.

If you can't access the soft bits easily then no worry. The zombie is against a fence, don't need to take a risk to kill it, just spike the next and move on.

Striking requires getting within arms reach. Even though zombies are weak they will have sharp exposed bones (a broken arm becomes a stabby arm weapon, one scratch and you're potentially infected.


The stick rock combination keeps people as far away as possible while the zombies standing and the kill is carried out on a controlled zombie.

degrassinoel

Denis322 wrote: »

I've wondered if just going around carrying a baseball bat or hockey stick with a big nail type thing through it would work? I know it's not exactly an original idea, but so long as you have a good enough aim to hit them in the head, it should penetrate with a lot less effort than an axe, and take less effort to pull out. If it worked the way I imagine it working then in my mind it'd be the easiest way for one man to fcuk **** up!

good ol' nailbat!

thegreatiam

Kromdar wrote: »

given that zombies are pretty 'tarded, does anyone think a tripwire [as in, to trip them up, not set something off] would work? you move away from them, they chase, you hop said wire; and while they snot themselves you come back and "rock to the head" them
eliminates the need for the stick guy. for all our antisocial survivors out there.

Trip wire, or similar would work well enough, or even rope at knee level. reams of barbed wire would be very effective too.

ScumLord wrote: »

We seem to be working with two different types of zombies.

How many types are there? Im thinking shambling un coordinated corpses intent on eating you.

ScumLord wrote: »

A zombie won't be rushing towards you all that often, after one or two days of overexertion they'll have blown out all their muscles and their inner ear will be shot giving them terrible balance. It will be like dealing with someone that's inebriated.

Exactly, try controlling a drunk to go where you want him. Either way its around 150-200 lbs of mass leaning towards you with flailing arms.
That's why i suggest a pitch fork not a stick. 2 pronged hay bailer, hook it around his neck and you have control. With a stick you are prodding him which won't mean he trips.

ScumLord wrote: »

It's two different types of uses though. Your intention is to wear yourself out for fitness purposes. If you're swinging a sledge to break something you can do it without wasting anywhere near as much energy using the proper technique. People used to spend their entire day swinging a sledge for work.

people who generally eat 2+ meals a day and get a nights sleep in a bed, who also arent feared for their life and usually have some kind of conditioning to swinging a sledge hammer.

Someone under nourished, scared and not used to it is going to tire after 1 or 2 swings.

ScumLord wrote: »

Once a zombie goes down it will more than likely never be able to get up again. Without the inner ear to give balance and the lack of energy to fight against the stick will make it like an upturned turtle.

actually zombies are the very epitome of being able to get up even if they may not be graceful at it.

The point is getting it down doesn't mean it stays down, its going to be moving around trying to get at you and get up.

ScumLord wrote: »

It would be only useful when you have the time, so it's only going to work on a small collective that gives you the time to move between zombies.

realistically this is the only time youll want to be killing zombies. If you dont have a safe static camp you simply avoid them.

ScumLord wrote: »

The zombie can just spit in your face, when you put the knife in goo will come spurting out. If the zombies bite is infectious then all bodily fluids are infectious.

1st zombies can't spit, that takes a concentrated effort and intention. zombies don't do that.
2nd i never suggested going up to a fence with your ma's favorite potato peeler to stab it to death.
Wear resistant gear, use a long instrument like a javelin, spear etc.
also make a wide guard around the base to the weapon from a large sheet of plastic, this will stop the weapon going through and stop and splashes. like a riot sheild with a hole in it.

Im thinking spear and sheild like the guys in 300. Long range, effective at killing and you remain protected behind the shield.

ScumLord wrote: »

I don't think they'll need to bite you to infect you, all they'll need to do is break the skin or get some of their bodily fluids into your eyes or mouth/nose.

generally it's blood only, but I see your point (28days later a drop in the eyeball was enough)
if that is the case then standing in a field armed with a stick is definitely the last place you'd want to be.
At least behind the fence you can effectively shield your self.

Or, as kromdar said. trip wire around the camp. I would suggest a load of barbed wire, loosely laid around the area.
Its designed to hinder able bodied soldiers, so a tangle of barbed wire will almost stop zombies. weigh it down with logs and concrete so they don't just drag it and you might have a killing field. a group of people can carefully get through killing the fallen zombies as they go. Still risky tho.

ScumLord wrote: »

I don't think that's as easy as it sounds. The brain cavity is a fairly secure area, the canal that the optical nerve uses is fairly small same with the ear, I don't think there is a direct straight hole going from the ear canal to the brain cavity. look at a side view of the skull, it's just a flat bit of skull where the ear is. Then look at the eye socket, there's a flat piece of bone there with slots for the nerve.

depends on what needs to be destroyed, if its brain stem then you need to get to the base of the skull. large spike can do that through the fence.

Also-as a new inspiration. You can have a roll of fencing (barbed wire etc) at the top of your fence when a few zombies are pressed up you let the roll down behind them. keeping them in place and allowing you to get at both sides

The best part of using the fence like this is if the killing shot isnt perfect then you can leave it and come back later for a better one.

ScumLord wrote: »

Striking requires getting within arms reach. Even though zombies are weak they will have sharp exposed bones (a broken arm becomes a stabby arm weapon, one scratch and you're potentially infected.

It doesn't. only if you're using a knife, and a knife would be the worst thing to use.
the zombie being static and effectively unable to put pressure on you means you have plenty of time to adapt. don't like this zombies flailing broken limbs?, then go get a longer weapon, can't reach his brain? then wait til you can.
There are also many ways to pin it to the fence so you can come back and finish it off.

ScumLord wrote: »

The stick rock combination keeps people as far away as possible while the zombies standing and the kill is carried out on a controlled zombie.

it doesn't. The stick is only effective up to 4 feet or so. And once it fails you're f'ed
the sledge, while it will be pretty good at smashing skulls has a range of 3 feetish . and youll be leaning into it, off balance. easily reachable by flailing arms of a moving zombie.
plus you have no contingency for more than one zombie.

Like I said the only things wrong with the tactic are:
you need to 100% guarantee the target goes down.
(dig a hole, or make a rock/log pit to trip it)
The zombie can get past a stick
(use a pitch fork or similar to control the zombie)
The zombie can still get at you when its down and can get up too.
(again, pit, makes it harder for it to get up and makes it harder for it to grab at you. using a net or tarp over its head and arms stops this.)
no back up
(its a 3 man job minimum. Even if one is solely on look out)

They are all just amendments to your original tactic to make it safer and more effective. going out with just a stick and a sledge isn't reliable enough

I still stand by the fence Idea. but without a fence to protect you then the knock down kill would have to be done only if you can up the reliability.

ScumLord

thegreatiam wrote: »

How many types are there? Im thinking shambling un coordinated corpses intent on eating you.

You seemed to be working with 28 days later type infected. Which has been aped in every movie since.

If we work with the assumption that a zombie is in fact dead and the zombie has really been hijacked by the disease then we can make some further scientifically based assumptions based on the fact, it's a dead body. They will have very poor strength and speed because they have no way of getting the amount of fuel required to the muscles. All that's left is anaerobic digestion of the muscle and fat tissues themselves.

This means it's easy enough to overpower them and they won't be flailing all over the place because they can't.

That's why i suggest a pitch fork not a stick. 2 pronged hay bailer, hook it around his neck and you have control. With a stick you are prodding him which won't mean he trips.

I suggested the fancy option of a fork in the OP. It would be a better options as it gives you more control, but as you pointed out already the disadvantage is you have to carry it around with you al the time. The benefit of the rock and stick is they'll be lying around most places you go.

Someone under nourished, scared and not used to it is going to tire after 1 or 2 swings.

Possibly, but I don't think we give ourselves enough credit. The Plebs and slaves of the Roman empire survived on bread yet they worked all day and built incredible buildings.

actually zombies are the very epitome of being able to get up even if they may not be graceful at it.

How so?

The point is getting it down doesn't mean it stays down, its going to be moving around trying to get at you and get up.

That's if it even has the wherewithal to know it's actually lying on the ground.

1st zombies can't spit, that takes a concentrated effort and intention. zombies don't do that.

A proper spit, you're probably right but they still have the ability and the muscles to projectile any fluids in their mouth. A gag reaction or vomiting will send spray flying.

Im thinking spear and sheild like the guys in 300. Long range, effective at killing and you remain protected behind the shield.

That would be a good option, will require some making and the problem with the spear is it's designed to hit a torso and won't be good at penetrating the skull. I can't say this enough, skulls have millions of years of evolution ensuring their good at their job. They are incredibly hard to crack.



Or, as kromdar said. trip wire around the camp. I would suggest a load of barbed wire, loosely laid around the area.

Its designed to hinder able bodied soldiers, so a tangle of barbed wire will almost stop zombies. weigh it down with logs and concrete so they don't just drag it and you might have a killing field. a group of people can carefully get through killing the fallen zombies as they go. Still risky tho.

It's always risky we just have to find the way with the least amount of risk.

there's an engineering term called "KISS" (Keep IT Simple Stupid), basically it means the more complicated something is the more likely it is to fail. Throughout history we see people finding ingenious and shockingly simple ways to deal with problems. That's what I'm looking for here.

Paddy Cow

thegreatiam wrote: »

the best and simplest tactic I have seen is in TWD series. a press of zombies against a chain fence, poke em in the brain with a long knife. repeat until tea time

It might not be in the exact spirit of this thread but I wonder if you hooked up the fence to a generator to make it electric, would it fry the zombies? The virus seems to act on the brain stem but surely a good zap of electricity would completely destroy the brain. Even if it didn't completely kill them, it should incapacitate them enough that you could safely walk up to them and stap them through the eyes.

Deise Musashi

Pitch fork or hay fork to pin down or hold away the Zeds.

I'm thinking like TWD where the Zeds impaled themselves on obstacles and were easily despatched later.

Second guy has something like a trenching spade or a hedge slasher that's been ground into a wide spear blade. A two inch wood chisel mounted to a long handle would do as well.
Thrust through mouth or eyes of zed to mush the brain.

Actually a pair of cold steel's boar spears and you are sorted for both jobs, either partner can pin or kill.

Any hardware or farmer's yard in the country should yield the necessary, and my favourite backup, the claw or ball peen hammer, stuck in the belt for CQB. Modern version of the Coup Stick

If we are going back to this stage of weapon evolution, it was standard stuff to carry a spear around. The Masai and Australian Aboriginals certainly did up to recently, for example. The Boar spear offers the option of slashing attacks as well as thrusting, but the stab is the finisher.

I've also wondered about getting the likes of a pick axe handle, drill through it at regular intervals, cut lengths of that threaded bar to size and fit through the holes. Put a washer on either side, and cap both sides with acorn nuts. There is a Japanese weapon like this but the name escapes me atm.

http://images.wikia.com/deadliestfiction/images/7/75/Kanabo.jpg


Kanabo!