It certainly makes sense. Image a salmon run. The rivers and streams are quiet all year round, and then one day, BAM—you could almost walk on the fish all the way across a river. People, bears, wolves, eagles, crows and ravens all descend on the waterways to eat until they drop.
In a few weeks, the rivers are empty again.
Be a shame just to let it all rot where the critters can get to it? Why not put it all in pits that can be guarded and uncovered as people needed to eat for the rest of the year?
And rotted fish taste better than nothing at all.
That’s exactly the problem — the pioneer ancestors here would eat whatever was available, grew useful perennials (including hops) and fruit trees, took advantage of fresh greens we now call weeds, but basically, harvest and slaughter time tends to bring in most of the food supply in very short periods of time. :’)