To get straight to the point, the wildlife can be more obnoxious atm than it is challenging.
Maybe in the beast mastery tree there could be something that gives a slight damage boost after succeeding in hitting all the white bars in the reload minigame with Flintlock as an example.
(Note: i haven't explored all the skills yet to know if there already is such a option in something else but i believe there isn't at the current state)
WIth the shovel, maybe the right click could be JUST a option to dig for materials such as earthworms and whatnot.
For the furthest part of the north, maybe you would need to add a form of metal reinforcement as ice would do increased damage over time on the ship while sailing there, a icebreaker reinforcement?
It's the cold arctic after all, it's not nice.
a paddle/oar to be specifically used with the raft to make turning a little bit less risky/a hassle.
A spear with with a rope attached to it that's meant to be used for fishing?
this is mostly brainstorming, and i want to try to update the thread as i come to think of other things.