I think a lot of these ‘productions’ are just theatrical episodes where you get $300 for six hours of work (to include the bus time from point A to point B). They hand you a ‘uniform’ and some leased rifle from a staging company (likely does a lot of Zombie movies).
The same group probably goes to the local sheriff and arranges a campaign donation, to ensure his people don’t react to phone-calls or show up.
Same area that they film The Walking Dead.