Unless he doesn't want to.......HECK YA!!! I'm a big QDM guy, but I'm also a HUGE proponant of letting kids(under 16), older folks and disabled shoot whatever the heck they want that's legal. What will keep kids hunting year after year that don't necessarily come from a hunting family? Field sucess. Kids need to get shooting experience under their belt to say the least. But it's not only shooting that smaller buck that "should" make the difference. It's the mentor along with them. Let's say the kid shoots something...even if the mentor knows where the animal is down but the kid doesn't, turn it into a good tracking teaching tool. Teach them how to look for blood, turning over of leaves, all the way down the line. Teach the kid something that will stick in his mind for years to come and make them better woodsman. Not just shooters!