Snowy, soggy, chilly weather has taken a severe toll on sheep and cattle in northeast Wyoming, western South Dakota and southeast Montana this spring.

The nastiness began in late March. A storm that began as heavy rain quickly turned into a blizzard that dumped more than 2 feet of snow in places.

Devils Tower-area sheep rancher J.W. Nuckolls says in that storm, he lost about 190 ewes out of a band of 800 sheep. But the worst was yet to come.  Two more blizzards roared through over the next two weeks.

Ranchers across the region report heavy losses at the peak of calving and lambing season. They worry that many more dead livestock are buried under snowdrifts and won't be found until all the snow melts.