I made the assumption that the 9 year old wasn't already a big game hunter based on the description.
I remember vividly when it was my job to hop out and open fence gates and run errands around camp. Graduating to carrying a rifle was a big deal. By 14 I could do just about everything better than the old man including spotting game, shooting and dragging out deer, cleaning birds and sharpening knives. None of that would have happened without that early exposure that made you want to be a full fledged hunter so bad you could taste it. I was my Grandfathers retriever bird hunting and he would drop them close to the road so I didn't have to run far to pick up birds. I'll never shoot a shotgun nearly as well as he did but it was always fun.
Starting boys before they are able to shoot is a great thing for their development as hunters.
