Reecently saw a program on the outdoors channel where an older gentleman stated he had been trying to acquire a Dall sheep tag in Wyoming for 30 years. Which made me curious about how the license/tag system works because I'm a hunting novice. What are some of the most difficult and expensive tags to acquire and why?

I don't believe there are any Dall sheep in Wyoming. If he has been accumulating points, he should have had his Bighorn ram some time ago. It varies from state to state, but Mountain goat and sheep are tough to draw. Moose is becoming much more difficult as are LE areas for deer and elk.

My mistake on the Dall.

Yep, each state is so different. Eastmans hunting journals MRS section does a nice job explaining most of the western states tag programs.

Some states have a lot of resident hunters, and few animals of a certain specie. Residents overwhelmingly will put up with bad odds in their state vs. spending 10x more in a non-res state with better odds.

ie. why would i pay 1000 in WY when I live in CO, but could draw a tag in 5 years, vs. waiting 30yrs and paying $150?

eastmans' or the huntin fool is a great place to start/subscribe.

he may have waited 30yrs to draw a WY bighorn sheep, which IMO isn't even worth applying for, less maybe you're a resident, or just going for the random draw. I'm unsure you can apply for sheep in WY and not get a bonus point, the only way I'd consider applying in WY for sheep at this point is if I didn't have to pay that $100 extra for a bonus sheep point.

If you're just starting out, at least buy some WY pref points this year, the deadline is July or august or somthing like that. I'd at least buy an antelope, deer, elk point, but not sheep, perhaps a moose?

Sheep, moose, and mountain goats are the most expensive and hardest tags to draw. It's simple supply and demand.

I'm not the guy you saw on the Outdoor Channel, but I'm 67 and I've been putting in every year as a resident for a Montana goat tag for 35 years, 30 yrs for a bighorn ram, and 25 years for a bull moose.

Every year when I put in for moose and goats, I wonder what I will do if I would actually draw one of those tags. I no longer have horses to pack a moose out and the mountains where the goats are get higher and steeper every year.