Yep, the BCS store is.. random at best.
My sense of this, and you Hogs can correct me if I'm wrong, is that the Busse Company Store is an independent operation run by Idahoskunk. Obviously there's a very close relationship between Jerry and Skunk, but I don't think Jerry supervises Skunk's operation. Jerry runs his own operation and he sells his production knives pretty much the same way Dan sells his . . . right off his own web site, albeit at much higher prices.
you're almost right. you're pretty much spot on with the jerry/skunk relationship, but where dan (at least to date) has put the for sale knives up when there are batches available, jerry typically has a pre-order deal up, and they start production at so many orders. add to all that the way the swamp does it, which is through a 'store' run by eric (like skunker) that generally tries to keep stock of one knife.
i actually prefer the way jerry does it with the whole preorder deal. gives you time to get an order or two in, then pay the credit card down or save up money until it's close to delivery time. sucks because you have to wait a bit, but it also rocks because you are guaranteed a knife.
i almost always miss 'store' offerings. i have YET to catch a game warden on the BCS, and when the first batch of howlers came around at ratknives, it was too close to christmas for me to commit, so i missed out. i got in early on the dog father, but i am glad that the yard made enough of them to last a day or two. who knows, if they are around long enough, i might order another. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />
still waiting on that next batch of howlers. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />
did i mention i can't wait for my dog father? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />
