This is often overlooked. A young person may have a very different definition of "behind the shoulder" than an experienced hunter. For my kids, I printed copies of perfect side/side quartering away game cam photos and marked exactly where to place the shot.

While some might call it whacky, the shooting experience can be simulated by holding a rifle and aiming at deer that appear in videos on a TV screen. Obviously, you must make sure the gun isn't loaded, but then, should a loaded rifle be kept in a home in the first place. What you'll find is that when looking through a rifle scope at a deer that appears on a TV screen just a few feet away, the deer will appear very similar in size as it would while looking at one in the field. It's an exercise that allows the person to emulate the mindset of seeing a deer through their scope and in a setting where shot placement and trigger squeeze can be practiced as well. It's really no different than what you find as the basic components in other types of simulators. The next step would be to have the child sit in a stand during the off season to watch deer at a feeder and dry fire at them.

I'm also a firm believer that with enough practice, a kid can condition themself to focus more on getting off a good shot and less on the animal they're seeing through the scope. Heck, it's a problem many experienced hunters suffer from as well because they never practice enough to learn how to focus on mechanics rather than antlers. Once the deer has been safely identified, the mind has been conditioned through practice to focus on the target area, that distinct point on the deer's body. This too can be practiced using the TV simulation that I described earlier. The shooter finds that he/she must adjust the aim point as the animal changes position.

While I may have just given someone the idea of creating a video that serves the purpose described earlier, it's something that can be done with any video that includes footage of deer as they might appear to a hunter.

If you have a smart TV, here's a video that adds a dose on judging antlers as well.

If you've ever toyed with virtual reality, the concept is basically the same. The right size image when viewed from the right distance from the shooter's eye and scope.

be patient with him and go at a slow pace

My boy is 12 and has shot 4 or 5 deer and is now into archery. A few thoughts.

1) For safety, teach him and then have him teach others a class (younger siblings). Nothing makes you truly learn something like teaching and demonstrating it.
2) I'd have him dry fire multiple times once we were in place so I could watch and see if he was doing it correctly.
3) Using a tripod for the first few times is a great idea.

Good luck

My sons are 9 &7 they have always gone with me and help me with whatever I’m doing. They’ve both killed plenty of small game and get to shoot more than most kids. Last year the oldest decided he wanted to kill a deer. I told him that was fine and set him up a good rest off the back porch with a feeder 125 yards away. He had several times that he could have killed a deer or hog but didn’t because he couldn’t get steady and said he couldn’t hold the crosshairs where they needed to be. I was sitting next to him and told him I didn’t care if he shot one or not. It was up to him. I had already told him neck shots only and it took him three nights to get comfortable enough to squeeze the trigger. The third night a spike hit the ground first and a doe dropped 5 seconds later.

Just let them take their time and do it whenever they’re ready, no pressure worked for my boy.

I’m sure my youngest will want to kill a deer soon but hasn’t asked yet. He considers himself a top notch bird dog man. He is training his own Shorthair pup right now, and doing a damn fine job.

This parallels the way I brought my boy along.