Always Game: A Maine Woman's Life of Outdoor Adventure

Christi Elliott's passion for hunting and fishing, her curiosity and enthusiasm at tackling new experiences, and her dynamic personality have made her a powerful force in the Maine outdoors world. Judy Camuso, commissioner of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, has called Elliott “a movement, a phenomenon, a powerhouse” and credited her with driving the increase in women obtaining hunting licenses.

In Always Game, Elliott recounts her youth in Downeast Maine, highlights early adventures like hiking the Appalachian Trail, and takes readers along as she learns, sometimes through heartbreak, how to hunt and fish—including the training of her beloved dog, Argos. Elliott describes herself as an experience hunter who jumps at chances to try new things. Whether she is trapping beaver in Southern Maine, hunting moose in Washington County, fly fishing in Baxter State Park, or chasing tuna in rough seas an hour or so off the coast of Maine, her characteristic optimism shines through.

Along the way, Christi has battled self-doubts and experienced the challenges of breaking into sports long dominated by men. Those challenges prompted her to create the Maine Women Hunters group as a welcoming place for like-minded women to learn and join in the fun. More than classic hunting and fishing tales, Always Game introduces a fresh voice in outdoor recreation and highlights the joy, pain, and wonder inherent in the sport.