Yeah, I definitely understand that frustration. I've been there myself over the years. I suppose I'm around 25 consecutive years into the moose applications, and before that I was 20 on/off years into elk applications.
I haven't yet had my kids apply for any of the big 3. I want them to really appreciate the experience once they get the tag, rather than having me guide them to the point they just need to pull the trigger. Son is off to an out of state college this fall, so hopefully he'll be back in 4 years to start applying while I am still young enough to be of help.