Although most reports around the state point to a good moisture year, John Garrett tends to be a pessimist.

"The reservoirs here are pretty much exhausted," Garrett said about land he rides near Kaycee. And some of the cows on the range are losing some weight and "don't look horrible" but aren't able to provide for themselves and their calves at the same time.

Still, Garrett - who laughs at his pessimistic attitude - had his moments of cheer.

"For the first time in three years I see grass in October, which I don't think you have seen that anywhere in Johnson County last year," he said. "I would say that's definitely a step in the right direction."

Johnson County, which has been at the near center of the extreme drought facing most of the state, is faring much better this year, according to drought monitoring reports. Since late September most of the county received at least 90 percent of average precipitation, with most of Johnson County hovering around 200 percent of average.

Those numbers are similar around the state, where only a portion of Sublette County received less than 100 percent of average precipitation.

Jan Curtis, Wyoming state climatologist, said as of Thursday, the state was in only a "moderate drought." Last year the state was considered in an "exceptional drought," meaning a scarcity of water seen only in one in 100 years. That is an improvement of three levels on the drought scale.

"I think we're coming out of the drought," Curtis said. "I see more and more surpluses of moisture."

He guessed the state might be completely out of drought by 2007.

Curtis said the wet and cool June helped native grasses, and ranchers said they had the best conditions since 1999.

Despite a hot and dry July, August brought more moisture to the state, which helped make up for the bad month.

Early October saw much precipitation across Wyoming. Big winners were Newcastle, receiving 1.42 inches of rain - 1.11 inches more than average. Sundance saw 1.85 inches - 1.48 over the norm.

Losers were Rawlins, which saw .05 of an inch of rain, .14 below average, and Laramie with .08 of an inch of rain - .08 below average. Those areas received solid snowfall earlier this year.

Jim Magagna, executive director of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, said there was a "mix situation" throughout the state. While everywhere had a good dousing in spring, summer was different.

He said he'd heard of some "really good cattle weights" around the state, but some areas, including south of Sheridan, didn't fare as well.

The fall rains throughout the state help saturate soil for the winter, where it will freeze and then be available in the spring. That way when snow starts to melt, that moisture can go directly to reservoirs rather than seep into soils, helping water level recovery.

Curtis said the fall moisture, too, helps people planting winter wheat in the fall as the moisture will give a higher yield.

"With all the recent rains and snows, the moisture stream flow, except the North Platte River drainage, are pretty close to normal," he said.

John Lawson, area manager with the Bureau of Reclamation for the Great Plains region, said in the Big Horn Basin, "We were blessed this year." There, moisture helped bring levels to 112 and 104 percent of average in Boysen and Buffalo Bill reservoirs, respectively.

That means for the first time in four years, water managers will release water at nearly normal levels.

People had to take conservation measures in recent years that helped the reservoir supply, Lawson said. Irrigators have received about 65 percent of their normal water allotments in the basin.

Lawson encouraged people to continue to do this because, "It goes away as fast as it comes."

The North Platte Basin is "not as bright a picture," he said. The system is just 36 percent full, and at the end of August, Pathfinder Reservoir storage was the third-lowest August storage in the last 30 years, at just 43 percent of average. By the end of September, levels bumped up to 47 percent of average in Pathfinder, but the reservoir is only 24 percent full.

Lawson said even if precipitation and runoff levels are average, "We won't gain anything. We will have to deliver that water to our customers and end up with a system no greater than what we had."

"We're going to have to have some exceptionally higher-than-average snowpack years or long prolonged rains in the spring and probably a combination before we're going to recover" in the North Platte Basin, he said.

Garrett agrees there's been a "marked improvement" over last year, and some ranchers are coming off rangeland with grass still left over.

"It's the best year in five years," he said.

But, he added, "If I were to wish for something for Christmas, it would be for the country full of half-full reservoirs before winter, and I don't see any of that."

Environmental reporter Whitney Royster can be reached at (307) 734-0260 or at royster@tribcsp.com.