Moonlight Elk: One Woman's Hunt for Food and Freedom

by Christie Green

Christie Green learned to hunt in order to complement the food she grew in her New Mexico garden. As an act of practical agency this fulfilled her needs, yet a restlessness stirred within. She longed for a life defined by something deeper than weekly schedules, work roles, and cultural norms. Could she travel beyond the supposed domain of women and venture into the world of animals, into the wild, where men were said to prevail?

Outside the grip of the human realm, the moon beckons to Green to go beyond. Here, hunting in the wild, the moon cycles through her, rising and falling at dawn and dusk, whispering messages from the dark side. Rather than circle the hot insistence of a masculine sun, Green begins to attune to the more elusive, mysterious murmuration of the moon.

Animals and dreams, lunar partners, choreograph Green through time and space. She longs to dream, toil, live and love at the edges of the fertile ecotones where she can withdraw inward, retreat like an animal into hiding, and then come into full, radiant view on her own terms.

Layer by layer, hunt by hunt, Green peels away societal skins that adhere to a prescribed grid, a manufactured tick of time, a picture of perfection. Tracking and tracing, moving in darkness, watching, smelling, listening, and following the animals, Green sheds the burdens of her domestic self and witnesses the animals defying reason as they walk her into their world, ambling her along, straddling night and day, waking and sleeping. Through them, definitions of gender dissolve and boundaries blur. In the process, Green eclipses western society’s definitions of her as a woman, mother, lover, and entrepreneur, courageously birthing her own independence through a profound connection to the animals and the places they call home.

What she sought from these animals was food. What she found was freedom.

ACCLAIM
“Moonlight Elk tracks the electric presence of a hunter who ‘burn(s) for belonging’ in the land and among the animals. . . This book will re-map your heart.”—Erika Howsare, author of The Age of Trouble and Kinship with Our Wild Neighbors

“Moonlight Elk is courageous, pro-woman prose that unfolds in the crucible of the natural world.”—Holly Morris, director of Exposure and author of Adventure Searching the Globe for Women Who Are Changing the World

“Christie Green closely tracks the boundary between human and animal, moving ever closer to a place of elemental exchange; in the end she discovers that there is no other.”—Gretchen Legler, author of Crafting a Sustainable Rural Life

“Green has the mind of a scientist and the heart of a poet. Her passion for the creatures she encounters and the land she wanders shines through every word.”—Janie Chodosh, coauthor of Wild Leading Conservationists on the Animals and the Planet They Love“Moonlight Elk is a brave unveiling that takes us to the intersection of what we know and what we sense in a given place with lyrical curiosity, offering an unexpected call to explore beneath the surface of a map or a hunt and expose a life of sensuous meaning. A daring and revealing book.”—Christine Cunningham, coauthor of The Land We A Love Affair Told in Hunting Stories

“Moonlight Elk is a riveting meditation on sustenance and love—in food, in nature, in family. This book is beautiful, deeply felt, and wise.

208 pages, Hardcover

Published September 13, 2024

About the author

Christie Green is the author of MOONLIGHT ELK: One Woman’s Hunt for Food and Freedom published by The University of New Mexico Press (UNMP) in 2024. Her forthcoming book, SALMON DREAMING: Coming Home to Alaska will be released by UNMP in 2027 and her third book, THE NEW MERIDIAN: Undamming the West will be released by UNMP in 2029.

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HOME
Christie Green resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico and Kenai, Alaska.

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PLATFORM
Ms. Green’s platform as a land and water steward, landscape architect, local food activist, educator and eco-huntress attracts passionate audiences in these fields.
She represents a fundamental missing bridge between polarized audiences and cultural extremes.

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EDUCATION + PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
With an educational background in US History from UC Berkeley and a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of New Mexico, Green found and fashioned a profession that reflected her personal background and passion: connecting people and place. Food has since been the conduit for communion in Green’s work.
Since 1999, Green has taught educational workshops, presented locally and nationally and leads restoration projects. As a landscape architect and entrepreneur for 21 years, Ms. Green has been a featured speaker and educator at local and national conferences including, The Xeriscape Council Land and Water Summit, the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Environmental Design Research Association and the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture.
She was an artist-in-residence in the Food Justice and Water Rights programs at the Santa Fe Art Institute and has won awards for her work, including the City of Santa Fe Sustainability Award for Water Conservation for her legacy project at the Academy for the Love of Learning, and has been recognized for her design and implementation work with the Tewa Women United Española Healing Foods Oasis.
In 2014, upon completion of her master’s thesis focused on the cultural and ecological effects of hydraulic fracturing in the 17 oil-producing counties of western North Dakota and obtaining her MLA, Green founded radicle, an alternative eco-activist landscape forum to challenge prescribed definitions of landscape architecture.
The regenerative projects of Green have been celebrated in numerous publications including: The Santa Fe New Mexican, edible, Green Fire Times, Seed Broadcast, Palo Alto Weekly. In the February 2019 issue of Landscape Architecture Magazine, Ms. Green and her award-winning work were featured in the article: The Huntress : With Her One Woman Practice - radicle - Christie Green Works to Repair Our Relationship With Nature, Including the Plants and Animals We Eat.
Green was a contributor to the quarterly publication, edible Santa Fe for four years, propagated, cultivated and sold over 100 varieties of edible crops, has been a featured speaker locally and nationally and has been awarded multiple federal grants for ecologically regenerative projects in riparian, agricultural and arroyo ecosystems. In 2012, Green was nominated for Best Santa Fe Business of the Year; in 2015 she was nominated for Best Woman-owned and Green Business of the Year.
Her essays continue to be featured in edible New Mexico and Dark Mountain, Waxing and Waning, The New Farmer’s Almanac, Seed Broadcast, and New Mexico Magazine.
In 2023, Ms. Green launched the christie nell collection of fabrics and garments, inspired by the animals she hunts and their habitats.

Reviews

[Ellen Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a very enjoyable read with the perfect poetic style of writing and such vivid descriptions that I felt like I was there on the hunt. What I thought would be a book about survival and hunting actually had much more to it. Christie shows the emotion behind a hunt and even the guilt and hesitation. When she described how she felt when she saw an elk with a calf, I knew I could continue to read because she truly respects nature and hunts for the right reasons.
I received a review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sabrina Schlabach · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was gifted this book, and coming from a family of hunters myself, I was excited to read it. I appreciate the author’s ability to craft a well-written descriptive sentence. I could imagine I was right beside her in many of the situations. I could also respect her desire to connect with the world around her.

However, that’s where the book went from potentially great to just okay for me. Unfortunately the book was difficult to follow. I felt like the author jumped from time period to time period and I kept having to look back to see if I missed something, if we were in a reflection of her past, or if she really did just pop into a different period of life.

I also was not crazy for the sexual encounter descriptions. I kind of get why she included them, as a feeling of connection, but overall, I felt them unnecessary and it didn’t add anything to the book.

Id recommend the book to people who hunt, want to understand the emotion of hunting and fending for yourself, or anyone who enjoys good descriptions. I’d just include the caveat that it’s a winding tale.

[amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was sent this book to listen to in exchange for an honest review and it’s been an experience! I was expecting a nature memoir but it’s far different to ones I’ve read before.

Christie is a single mother working as a landscape architect but becomes disillusioned by the cost cutting and banality of urban customers. She grows her own food, raises her beautiful daughter and has a deep reverence for the natural world. She wants to hunt and be able to feed herself and her family. Hunting with others Christie feels the weight of other people’s expectations and directions. Some of the hunts make her uncomfortable in their methods and lack of respect for the prey. She’s not judgemental about others but weighs up whether it aligns with her own self. Christie decides to hunt alone.

I found the first hour a hard listen, it’s visceral, bloody and a lot of sensuality between herself, Al her lover and life in the wild. Perhaps I’m prudish but I’m glad I carried on listening I soon settled into the rhythm of the storytelling.

Raised in Alaska then living in New Mexico Christie has family in Texas and hunts in some of the most beautiful landscape. Christie is a unique and remarkable woman, she’s independent, strong willed and lives her life on her own terms. I love listening to women who have chosen a different life, an adventurous life and one they have chosen despite social norms and expectations. I also love books that push me out of my comfort zone and make me think about people and places in a different way.

Thanks to Kelsey at @bookpublicityservices For the gifted copy. Ad/pr but all thoughts are my own

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

​This is one of those books I’m really grateful found its way to me. I was gifted Moonlight Elk, and honestly, I’m not sure it would have crossed my radar otherwise but I’m so glad it did. It turned out to be a powerful and deeply reflective memoir.

In Moonlight Elk, Christie Green shares her personal journey into hunting, harvesting her own food, and reconnecting with the land in a way that is both physical and deeply spiritual. The book explores themes of self-reliance, freedom, and the complicated relationship many of us have with where our food actually comes from. Through her experiences in the wild, Green examines what it means to step outside modern comfort and engage directly with the cycles of nature.

What struck me most was how raw and honest the storytelling felt. This isn’t a polished or romanticized version of life close to the land​, it’s thoughtful, vulnerable, and very real. There are moments of beauty, moments of deep introspection, and moments that may be difficult for some readers. If hunting or harvesting animals isn’t something you’re comfortable reading about, this book may not be for you, as some parts are quite descriptive. But for readers open to that perspective, it offers a meaningful look at food, survival, and personal freedom.

Overall, I found it to be a beautiful story​, one that invites you to reflect on your own relationship with nature and the choices we make about how we live and eat.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I want to feel the weight of the deer as part of my own body. I want to earn the gift of his life through my labor. I shepherd him through his north woods, where I am a visitor.”

This book is one woman’s quest to find herself within the land she inhabits, the animals she hunts, and the wild that surrounds her. It is both beautiful and inspiring. As a solo hunter in a world dominated by men I found myself quickly lost in her world of survival, knowing the land, and her bond with the animal world.

The older I get the more I enjoy being off the grid as well. Although not a hunter myself, and an intense lover of animals, I found her view on hunting tender. It is done with purpose and kindness and without cruelty. If you are yearning to get back to nature I suggest reading this memoir today. It is written so poetically.

“They say women are better shots than men. That women take their time, are more careful.”

Thank you to @bookpublicityservices and @radiclelandscape for the complimentary copy.

[erin_leigh_reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moonlight Elk is a captivating memoir by Christie Green. Her journey intrigued me as I have always wondered what it would be like to leave city life behind and depend on the land for my survival. While not realistic for me, I appreciated living the experience vicariously through Christie Green’s memoir. It is remarkable to read about her deep connection to the animals, land, and her reliance on the moon cycles for hunting.

Christie’s writing was incredibly descriptive and lyrical at times, while also being bold and riveting. Some parts of the story made me uncomfortable, while others resonated deeply with me as a woman and a mother. I truly appreciated Christie’s authenticity and raw honesty. I admire her genuine connection and respect for the land she lived on and the animals she hunted.

Thank you Book Publicity Service for my copy of The Moonlight Elk by Christie Green, it was a fascinating and thought provoking read.

[Sara Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Can’t wait to read Christie Green’s next books. She’s brilliant and her writing is fantastic. Definitely inspired me to hunt as someone who already loves fishing and being in nature.

[Rue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moonlight Elk is a striking and deeply felt memoir that pulls you into a life shaped by land, animals, and the courage to redefine yourself.

Christie Green writes with real attentiveness to weather, tracks, silence, and the inner shifts that come with hunting alone. The story moves with the rhythm of moon cycles and the honest work of being out there. This isn’t a book about taking something from the wild. It’s a book about seeing clearly: the landscape, the animals, and yourself.

This one resonated with me so much personally. My own life and work are anchored in motherhood, reconnecting people with nature, so I understand the grounding that comes from stepping outside routine and into the outdoors with purpose. I know the weight of a pre-dawn start, the patience of tracking, and the way a single encounter with an animal can teach you something you didn’t know you needed. Green captures that quiet instruction in a way that feels earned.

She also writes candidly about womanhood, independence, and the responsibility that comes with taking a life to feed a family. Some of the most powerful moments are not about the shot at all. They are about restraint, intuition, and refusing to force the moment. That, to me, is a different measure of strength.

Moonlight Elk is a story of clarity, transformation, and the steady truth that comes from time outdoors. If you’ve ever gone outside to find your footing again, this book will meet you there. I dog-eared more pages than I expected.

Beautifully written, thoughtful, and it stayed with me after the last page.

[Sekar Writes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full review.

This is a beautifully detailed descriptive memoir that explores a life lived in many layers. Christie Green writes as a woman, mother, daughter, lover, and hunter, weaving these identities together through her journey toward self-sufficiency in the wilderness. Structured around the phases of the moon, the book beautifully connects emotional rhythms with the natural world.

I loved how the moon’s phases guided both the hunting and the emotional reflections. A book that reminds us how far we’ve drifted from nature and how meaningful it can be to reconnect.

Thanks to Book Publicity Services Inc. for the review copy.

[Kathleen McCloud · Rating 5 out of 5]

You don’t have to be a hunter to be seduced by the sensual push and pull of the life force pulsing through Moon Light Elk by Christie Green. Her cyclical memoir weaves together chapters of her life as a woman, mother, daughter, granddaughter, hunter and lover, through the lens of the beating heart of her animal self. She tracks her life with her whole being- as a landscape architect, farmer, and big game hunter, providing sustenance for her daughter and herself that include attunement to the cycles of the moon as well as the seasons. Her voice is bold and vulnerable, visceral and tender and drew the Vegetarian leaning me, into the depths of desire that leads home to our wild self.

[Skyhorse Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

It reads well, a page-turner. And it makes one think. I found myself examining the things I take for granted in my everyday life, wondering what drives me, what urges me forward. I believe it is a search for truth, but more than just that. My life is a search for accomplishment, even small ones. Things that increase the level of peace and love and understanding between and among our co-inhabitants of this planet. This book has inspired me to be more aware of sounds, sights, smells this neighborhood in which I find myself offers.

[Sara (sarasbooksandcoffee) · Rating 4 out of 5]

🌙🦌📖 Book Review 🌙🦌📖
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book is a powerful, reflective memoir about self-reliance, nature, and reclaiming connection to the land. Green’s story is both raw and beautiful, weaving hunting, motherhood, and survival into a deeply personal journey of courage and freedom. You find yourself thinking of things you may take for granted in everyday life.

Thank you @bookpublicityservices and @christienelldesigns for this book.

[Christine Mains]

I could not get into this one. I thought maybe it was because of the grisly descriptions of butchering the hunted animals, but I don’t think that’s it.
It was hard to follow for most of it. In one paragraph we’re in the present and in the next, we’re years in the past. By the next page you realize “wait… when did this happen?”
There was a point when she was talking about her husband and child (who have names in the story). The father of her child isn’t named (that’s fine), but then she starts talking about “The Father” making you assume it’s her daughter’s father, but no, you realize 3 pages later it was some random third guy. If you can’t name these people for legal reasons, fine, but then give them a different name. Very difficult to keep track of.
The writing itself was decent, I just think she might need a better editor. Her descriptions were maybe a little overly flowery, but at a 200 page book, was this necessary? Maybe this story could have been better as an essay instead of a full length memoir.

Thank you to Book Publicity Services for a copy!

[Consuelo Rios · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was detailed. Really puts you in a different perspective. Read it for book club.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great read. One woman’s way to turn survival into passion to feed her family.