Bark and sap: Very high in vitamins C and A and many other nutrients, the inner bark of pines can be eaten raw, cut into thin strips and cooked like spaghetti, or dried and powdered as a thickener for soups and stews. The sugary sap can be used as syrup, and both the sap and inner bark can be made into a nutritious tea.

Needles: Rich in the same nutrients as the inner bark, pine needles can be chewed or made into tea. Chew the needles for about five minutes before spitting them out, swallowing the juices only. For tea, pick the newest growth of needles available and steep a generous teaspoonful in boiled water. Be careful not to steep too long, as that will lessen the nutrient content.

Cones and seeds: The woody cones are female and produce seeds, which are delicious when roasted and shelled. The softer cones are male and produce the pollen. Both the seeds and pollen are rich in nutrients. Harvesting the tiny seeds from the hard cones can be a challenge, however, so you’ll need a hammer or rock. Young female cones can also be ground into a powder and sprinkled over other food for added nutrition. As for the soft cones, you can practically scoop the plentiful pollen up and eat it, but the taste is very strong, so it’s better if used in cooking.

Poor spooling: Typically, anglers will stick a pencil through the middle of a spool and have someone hold it while they wind the line directly onto their reel. This method works for a level-wind reel, but when loading a spinning reel this way, the mono has to turn 90 degrees from the manufacturer’s spool onto the reel, putting several hundred annoying full twists into the line. Instead, load the spool using an axis-to-axis machine or lay the spool label side up, so that the line feeds off counter-clockwise when you turn the reel handle clockwise.

Operator error: Another culprit can be a defective swivel—or not using one at all. This is especially true with spinner blades retrieved or trolled too fast. Check your swivels from time to time to make sure they’re working smoothly. One way to do this is to attach a spoon and run it close to the boat—it should wobble and flutter, not spin. Mono will also develop a bad twist if you crank the handle of your spinning reel while the fish is taking line. When the drag kicks in, be sure to stop reeling immediately and wait until the fish tires. 

Twist fixes: For stubborn twists, remove the terminal tackle, and while trolling, feed out the line and let the water resistance caress the twist out of it. If you’re on shore, feed out all the twisted monofilament in a straight line, then spool it back onto the reel, all the while pinching the line between your thumb and index finger. But beware: badly twisted mono develops weak points and it should be replaced. 

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Cabins were for the weak, motels for those with more money than spirit. Of course, that was before I acquired my own cabin in some reasonable moose country.

Now, with the added time pressures from family and work that also seem to ride shotgun with maturity, a moose hunt, as often as not, is a week at the cabin, with a moose tag in one pocket, a deer tag in the other, and electric heat and lights, freshly frozen ice cubes and the microwave waiting at the end of the day. It’s comfortable, certainly, and we still manage to tag our fair share of game, but without question there’s a critical element of the hunt that’s missing. And it leaves you with an emptiness that can be difficult to identify, yet impossible to ignore.

The single worst part of moose hunting, as any veteran moose hunter will attest to, is actually shooting a moose. For in that split second, you have created more work than most of us enjoy at best, and more than we can handle without a coronary at worst. But hitting the switch is a necessary evil, as the single best part of moose hunting is basking in the glow of a campfire under a starry fall sky with fresh moose tenderloin on the grill.
Food is more than mere nourishment for most of us; it is a means by which we share all that is good about life. And nothing epitomizes that sentiment like moose on the open fire. Satisfaction in the work that’s just been completed, memories of past hunts, promises of those to come and the fraternal feelings of the hunt that must be lived to be understood—it says it all.

Fuel: Small engines can be finicky at the best of times, let alone at -20°C, so always feed them clean, fresh gas. For two-strokes, use the recommended gas-oil ratio; fully mix the blend before filling the auger’s tank. Most manufacturers recommend adding a fuel stabilizer when packing your machine away for the season, but many experts suggest using it at all times.

Blade: If your auger cuts slowly or jumps on the ice, sharpen or replace the tip and blade. Razor-sharp cutting edges save fuel and prevent wear and tear on the engine. To keep blades from corroding, dry them after every trip and lube them with oil, which can be as simple as a spray of WD-40. And always cover the blade when it’s not in use.

Technique: No matter how eager you are to cut your holes, warm up your auger for a few minutes before stressing the engine. And finally, Outdoor Canada’s ice-fishing guru Gord Pyzer, who has cut thousands of holes without ever burning out an auger, says to never, ever drill a hole from the ice surface down to the water in just one blast—it’s too hard on the machine. Instead, he says to stop halfway down and lift out the auger to remove the slush from the hole. Then drill down again until the auger is just above the water before lifting it out once again to clean the hole a second time. Now you’re ready to punch through.

» Wear latex gloves when handling or cleaning game carcasses. At the very least, wash thoroughly when 
you’re finished.

» If you become ill or develop unusual symptoms, go to a doctor and be sure to mention that you recently
 handled wildlife.

» If you find anything unusual in a game animal that you can’t identify or are uncertain about, call your local wildlife office. They may be able to answer your questions directly, or ask that you bring in some tissue or the entire carcass for examination. Keep the tissue cool, and if you can’t get to the wildlife office within a day or two, freeze it