Umm ....... This is a hard one. I would say a 22lr. You could hunt most things with it. Im not sure how much recoil the person could handle at 8 years old to be shooting deer or turkeys. You could also try a 20 gauge. I woudl go for a semi auto for someone that young. It still might have too much recoil. You dont want the recoil to hurt them. They could decide they dont like just because the gun hurts them when they shoot it.