Could Ramsay have actually killed Rickon with a bow that far out?

Although Game of Thrones contains dragons that spit fire and character who come back from the dead, one of the biggest questions fans had after Season 6 ended was: could Ramsay Bolton actually have made the shot that killed Rickon Stark? As an amateur archery enthusiast, I myself wondering that, especially if Ramsay used the bows and arrows realistically available to him at the time.

Well, it turns out I wasn’t the only one wondering. The National Post, a Canadian newspaper, contacted archery instructor Charles Moffat with the same question. It turns out the answer is yes, Ramsay could have made that shot.

According to Moffat, who has studied and taught archery since 1989, Ramsay was using a Penobscot Flatbow, which was well-suited to the type of shot Ramsay was attempting to make. Not only was this not the same bow Ramsay used in other scenes, but its design specifically allowed for the extra power needed to make such a long and accurate shot.

What about that distance? Was it too far Ramsay to reasonably make that shot? Once more, it appears that Thrones producers knew exactly what they were doing. Moffat estimates that Rickon was roughly 120 yards from Ramsay at the time of the kill shot, and points out that archers have been known to hit eagles, much smaller targets than Rickon, at distances of 150 yards. As a reasonably experienced archer, perhaps even an expert, it’s not out of the question that Ramsay would be capable of hitting a moving target as large as Rickon.

“But wait,” you say: Rickon was running very quickly, how could an arrow hit where Ramsay intended it to? Again, the bow Ramsay was using was perfect for its intended purpose. Based on Moffat’s estimate, the arrow was likely traveling at a speed of 200 -250 feet per second, meaning that at 120 yards (or 360 feet) from the target, the arrow would need less than two seconds in order to reach its target upon release. Seeing a pattern here?

Okay, but Ramsay was standing kind of weird, and what about that arrowhead? Would it be powerful enough to pierce right through Rickon like that? Moffat once more lays some knowledge on us: Ramsay was using what’s known as Howard Hill-style shooting, named for a famed archer, which allows for maximum visibility of the target while simultaneously keeping the arrow’s flight path as straight as possible. And that arrowhead? Ramsay chose a traditional broadhead, not heavy enough to reduce range, but strong enough to kill the target.

So it appears as if the Game of Thrones producers brought in some sort of archery expert to ensure that if anyone ever deconstructed the scene, they wouldn’t find any holes. Once more, the producers have shown their total and complete commitment to making the show as believable as possible. As to why Rickon didn’t simply run in a zig-zag pattern? That’s a whole other question that even the archery guru couldn’t answer.

h/t Cardio Trek