MD's law is that the bow must have a draw weight of at least 30lbs. That law has been on the books for more than 20 years, so it applied before today's efficient bows had emerged. That said, I didn't allow my son to hunt with his bow that maxed out at 30lbs because I didn't trust it to do the job. He eventually killed his first deer -- a P&Y buck-- with a 51 pound bow. I personally shoot 70lbs and used to shoot 84lbs. Anything over 40lbs that will provide a pass-thru most of the time will work.