I guess Mn wants wounded deer. You know, for quite awhile the triple deuce had a rep as a deer poacher hereabouts, and it has a little less pop than the 223. It will kill with the right placement, at the right range. Doubt that the average Mn 223 toter will be that skilled tho. Sooo, I would say it depends on how good the wife shoots, and if she knows her range. It has following in Tx but then, the deer are smaller there than what I have seen in Mn.