Beef and pigs had to die every fall - except for a "small" amount that you would raise for next spring to start the next generation. If possible you would prefer not to store food for animals that you don't need to, so when the snow flies you kill all the animals and then freeze it (snow = freezing temperatures), storing it and using for the rest of the winter to the best of your ability to store it. Smoking and other preservatives methods would also be done to any meat in fall, again so you don't have to harvest food to feed those animals all winter. Harvest uses a lot of labor, so storing food to feed animals isn't a good option when you can just kill them and eat later.
Of course you need a lot of animals around to raise the next generation. Still if you plan to eat it in winter the best best was kill it in fall.
Of course you need a lot of animals around to raise the next generation. Still if you plan to eat it in winter the best best was kill it in fall.