We are new residents in the Catskills, living on the southern foothills of Mombaccus and High Point - Tabasco, NY to be exact. We've been here not even 5 months and marvel at the bountiful wildlife. Some sightings are unbelievable.

Late last fall we were both shocked to see a large light brown feline of massive proportion walk past our house (within 20 yards in our backyard). There was no question this thing was not a regular house cat and far from domesticated. We did not have time to grab a camera.

Today, March 2nd, 2011 just before dusk we just sighted a large jet black feline, again massive (within 25 yards, same location as last). About 6 feet in length without the tail, which was enormous on its own and very bulky at the end. Again, no time for a camera.

Both cats had the same qualities: sleek movers, slick coats, concave arch in their back, huge shoulder blades sticking up, long tail barely grazing the ground.

Both cats presented us a profile view and walked away diagonally. We never see faces. Both sightings lasted about 20 seconds.

I'll be going out tomorrow morning to try and find tracks in the frozen snow.

If you live in this area, you have likely seen Black Bear, Bobcat, Coyote, Fox, Bald Eagle, Pileated Woodpecker, etc - I know I have. If you have sighted a large feline in our area, please chime in!

For reference, last 30 seconds of this video depict what we just saw 2 hours ago.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUhGnInNRXo

Whether here naturally or escaped from a zoo, I cannot speculate. But this does substantiate previous claims of sightings, at least in my humble opinion.

Gruv.

There are mountain lions, lynx, bobcat, wolf, coyote, coy dogs, black bear, moose, red and gray fox plus many other animals in the area that are seen regularly.

I lived in Southern California for 12 years. I was amazed to see the lack of concern for mountain lions that roamed in the hills. It finally changed when people started getting attacked on the regular.

Much like the earth quakes there, there was a time that it just was not really talked about in an informative manner.

As cats of any size are extremely elusive. My daughter and I were burying my cat, which died after 20 years, In Fryeman Park above Studio City, Ca.
As we stood up to leave, I got a very heavy stench in the air(like fifty dirty, cat litter boxes together, or a visit to the zoo). The hair stood up on the back of my neck! I knew it had to be a mountain lion. We looked above and around never seeing it. But the stench followed us to the entrance of the park. Two days later there was a sighting of a mountain lion watching the children in a school yard, below from the same section.
I believe the sightings! Upstate is a perfect environment for such an animal to thrive. I admire you fellow New Yorkers up there and how you live. Wish I had the B****!

Last year at this time in May 2010 my neighbor spotted a large cat that looked like a mountain lion in his front yard, at around 3am. This past Saturday nite around 4am there was a bone chilling screem (not a roar) and woke both my husband and I.
We turned on the outside lights to see if we could see anything, but everything was quiet. We were going to call 911 but the screems seemed to be getting further away. My neighbor thinks, that whatever it is, it takes this route for migration. By the way, four of our neighbors heared this bone chilling screem, so we are not imagining it!!!
We live in Sodus NY between Rochester and Syracuse.

In the late 60's a friend's pony was found dead in the blood stained snow on West Hill in Camillus, NY. Local police, Sheriff and State Police were on scene.
There were large cat's paw prints in the snow and on a vehicle. Photos were taken by authorities of the scene and the prints.

I was working in Bradford county PA close to the NY state border cutting lines (paths). One afternoon in between a couple of large fields i followed two sets of prints (both were quite recent and very clearly mountain lion) along a somewhat muddy two track for at least 30 feet. One set of what appeared to be baby prints right along side a huge set that joined in, they were next to some deer and coyote prints and the adult cat tracks were a good bit larger than either. I cant imagine escaped pets managed to find each other and breed, i am convinced they have always been here in hiding. After all we are the reason that they were "driven" out of the area in the first place, why wouldn't they be hiding from us?

It was the summer of 1969. Nothing I have ever heard before or since compared to the screaming I heard in the middle of the night. In the middle of nowhere - town of Ohio. I was sure someone was being killed. I was 16 yo. I am amazed at how NY says there are no mountain lions and passes it off as a lynx - what about that tail or a fisher - come on. And now, a mountain lion was killed in Connecticut in a road accident. I think that's proof enough.

In response to gruvfunk, I think you saw what is known as a Fisher. They can have dark fur, almost black and are a very large type of animal from the weasel family.

I have read this forum numerous times because I thought I saw a mountain lion in Rockland County NY, at the very Southern most part of Harriman state park, off on the other side of the fence from interstate 87. I no longer believe that I did see a mountain lion. Living in Westchester just 8 miles from the I have seen numerous foxes and coyotes.

Last year (2010) on route 17 driving south I almost hit a black bear crossing the highway near Hancock, NY.

Anyways what finally brought me to post was the fact that there recently was a Mountain Lion in NY. As many of the other who have posted against Mt. Lions being here many of the reasons you gave of why mountain lions are not in the state were true. First off there was multiple sightings of this animal in the same area on the same day. It became a huge news story down here. Wildlife experts were able to find tracks and scat from this lion. Lastly, very sadly as many have said would happen, this mountain lion was killed by a car. If you check out this link http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/hc-milford-car-vs-mountain-lion-0612-20110611,0,2357918.story

or just google mountain lion, greenwich ct you can find multiple stories. They believe this lion was released or escaped from its owner/handler. I would not be surprised if a rich person in CT owned a mountain lion illegally.

Hope this helps!

Recently , a mountain lion was killed by a car in Connecticut.
Do you ever think the Connecticut DEP will release any info
regarding whether or not it was de-clawed or the contents of it's stomach to see what it was feeding on ?

I found this site while researching for what I saw on the hill where I have land in Richford NY in Tioga Co. I was driving down a seasonal road when I saw two black cats about 12-14" at the shoulder, short hair, and long tail that dropped down and turned back up. It appeared as if they were playing. As I rode toward them they walked slowly into the tall grass off the road. I got off my 4wheeler and walked in after them. I caught a few glimpses as they cheeped through the underbrush and watched them till they disappeared, about 10 seconds. I walked back to the road, maybe 15' I got back on my 4wheeler and another one about 200' down the road came out of the brush and ran down the road 100' more. I looked for that one but no luck. My first thought was that I saw three black feral cats. But the long drooped tail and arched back said that they must have been juvenile mountain lions. I told my friend who spends most of the hunting season in the woods the story and he said for sure they were mountain lions, and that the mother was most likely near by or in a tree above. So after reading all the above posts I see no need to call the DEC to report the incident.

I just want to say that I SAW a Black Panther today!! That's why I did the search. I told the Forest Ranger and he said others have sited them too, but the DEC officially says None in NY. I first thought it was a black bear, until it turned around and ran in the woods. It was definately a black mountain lion, with the long tail. It was bigger than a German Shepard too. So to say they don't exist is BULL. This was in Jersey Hill State Forest, near Birdsall, NY (Allegany County)!

I live in hornell I moved there a year ago from the city .no one ever told me about the lions i saw it on the back road on webb crossing I was about 10th yards away and it was tan and had a white marking down it face so I called the DEC and they told me I was nuts I told them fine I will kill it and bring it to them they said no they can't be killed and they hung up I knew rite there they were hiding something e

Cougars are migrating east from the western US. Sightings have been confirmed in Michagan... one was killed on a Missouri or Indiana freeway. Why wouldn't they continue on NY, with its vast state parks and overpopulation of deer? I'm a believer.

Hello all. I am new to the forum and joined today so I could share my input. I have read about 3/4 of the posts today and still reading. I am an avid deer hunter, been hunting very hard and a lot for 20+ years now. I hunt deer mostly then coyotes, turkeys and small game on occassions. I spend every free minute from 10/1 till 1/30 in the woods in all different parts of NY, southern mostly like the Catskills, Long Island and west in Chenango County. I have seen a bobcat up close and personal, it actually stalked me so quietly I didn't even know. I was sitting on the ground and looking in every direction deer hunting, and within minutes, I turned around to look behind me again and it was literally 4-5 feet from me in a stalking position and it jumped and took off faster than I ever seen an animal run.

Once while hunting a huge hill towards dark I had something come down the hill in a cat like posture and walk but it was too far to tell what it was and get a good look at it's tail but it was big, bigger than the bobcat I saw. I'm not going to call it a mountain lion though cause it was too dark and too far to tell. I do have an uncle that swears he saw a mountain lion standing on the side of the Taconic State Parkway on his way home from the country one weekend. Do I believe him? Not sure LOL. I have also heard the farmer story shooting ones with collars but the version I heard numerous times was different (depends on where you live what version you get)

The version I heard was

Sorry, my message got cut off. Here's the rest.

The version I heard was that a farmer shot one in his field with a radio collar on and within minutes the DEC was at knocking at his door and confiscated it before he could show anybody. I have also attended DEC meetings for different hunting topics and the mountain lion debate has come up at every meeting and shot right down by DEC only to be told "Show us proof".

What I really wanted to say is my input and give everybody a link to a fisher video. My input on mountain lions is that I have not heard or seen any real proof myself, and I think given that most of NY is forest and mountains, especially the Adirondacks (I never been except Lake George for vacation lol) I think it�s possible that mountain lions could exist and I�d love to see proof. For years now my entire family and friends have been putting out trail cameras and have got some cool pictures and videos, coyotes, deer, bear, raccoons, foxes, hawks, crows, you name it, we have never gotten a bobcat or mountain lion. I just started really getting into coyote hunting last year so maybe this winter I will see something cool since I will be doing it more often now. Anyway, I love the forum and will continue reading now till I read them all. Also, below is a link to a youtube video, owned by me, that was taken on my trail camera of a large fisher around Feb of last year. Enjoy!

Ok, you want proof, here's proof. This is directly on the NYS DEC website. So tell me, if one can come through NY, why wouldn't there be others that have done the same and stayed after finding plenty of food and a nice cozy home?

http://www.dec.ny.gov/about/74534.html

Hello. I have posted this places hoping to hear from others who saw what I did. In November I was driving from Syracuse to Binghamton, NY. It was around 10:30 am. Soon after I passed the Whitney Point exit, but well before Castle Creek, I saw a dead cat on the left shoulder of the road. This was a huge red cat. It was obviously dead but its face and body were intact. The face was rounded-a cross between a raccoon kind of face and a domestic cat.-sweet and round. It had a very long tail that had fur that was straight (not fuzzy or curly) and the tail was rope-like. The legs were long. The color was very close to the red you would see on a domestic red cat-solid color not spotted and not merely tan with redish tint-clearly orange red. I would say its back would have been about 2-3 feet off the ground had it been standing. It was thin and the fur on it was not fuzzy but short. I was traveling at 65mph and by the time I had processed what I saw it was too late to easily pull over. I was late too. I called the police (I think Castle Creek but can't recall-maybe Broome county sheriff- not sure.) and the dispatcher showed interest. She said she would have someone check it out. I called her later that day. She said she was so curious about it that she went herself during her lunch hour but by then it was gone. She said someone probably took it for the fur. Then she started listing the kind of animal it could have been.

Now, I know nothing about wild animals but was surprised by the animals she listed because they were the sort of animal I assumed existed only in places like africa (I've got the suburban NY-view of the world) or the zoo. I began to google the various animals she suggested to compare to what I saw. What I saw was clearly most similar to a mountain lion. But, the face was round and did not have the long muzzle that the pictures show. So, I think it was probably young-although the pictures of the young mountain lions suggest that they are not solid in color. Maybe there is an adolescent period when the body becomes solid color and the face is still round?

It was only after I looked at pictures of all kinds of animals that I started to read about Mountain lions in NY. I had no idea there was any controversy about whether they exist or not. (I add this because I have no vested interested in proving that they do or do not exist) I did not know they ever existed in NY. In fact, I would have been quite surprised to hear that they existed in this country at all..anywhere. So, when the dispatcher mentioned things like mountain lions and panthers I was very surprised. I posted a description of what I had seen on Topix in the hope someone else had seen it and could let me know what it was. All I got was a few snide comments. Then I started to google more seriously because it began to bother me that I could not figure this out. At that point I found this post
"05-05-2011, 06:48 PM #1
Crokit
Posts: 158
Mountain lion sighting
First, let me state that I have all my faculties, excellent eye sight, and am not given to exaggerations.

Today, while traveling south on Interstate 81, between Syracuse and Binghamton, I saw a Mountain Lion / Cougar/Panther, pick your noun. !! 100% positive, absolutely no doubt. There is ZERO chance that it was anything else. The only other thing it could have possibly been ( other than a live mountain lion/cougar/panther ) is a full body mount of a mountain lion/cougar/panther and someone pulling a prank. It was less than 100yds off the West side of the road, sitting on top of a section of rock/cliff that the highway had been cut through. It was sitting on it's haunches, leaning forward, ears forward, looking down onto/across the highway. It was about 30-40 feet above the highway. Just before the " Castle creek 1 mile " highway sign.
When I screamed " holy F%^K, a mountain lion, scaring the S#$T out my buddy who was driving almost lost control at 75 mph.

An absolutely beautiful animal, well muscled, excellent specimen. Up until now, when ever I've seen reports of sightings, I've taken them with a grain of salt. No more!

Anyone know of any other recent reported sightings in that area?

Wldnerness: Can you put me in touch with any of the state Dec/Rangers/etc from that area?"

And my post on Topix was as follows:

"Justwondering
East Syracuse, NY
huge red fox, moutain lion or lynx on I-81 (S) near Castle Creek
Nov 9, 2011
Did any one see a dead huge cat like animal on the southbound side of I-81 about a mile closer to Syracuse then the exit for Castle Creek. It was on the left lying an its side, obviously dead and huge. If you did see it, or heard someone else talking about it, what was it? It looked like it had a body like a mountain lion, a long tail with long fur-not bushy and a face that was rounder like a lynx.Its color was pretty uniformly red-not mixed or strips or anything like that. I was moving too fast and, once I had processed what I saw, I had gone too far to see it. Apparently someone picked it up, probably for its fur, because it was gone soon thereafter. I saw it at around 10:40am Tuesday morning. If you did not see it but are familiar with the wild life around there, any ideas? Any information would be appreciated.

What do you think? These two sightings are at identical places. I do not believe that they are both mirages. Also, if the one I saw was young, it would not have been as visible to a driver on I-81 6 months earlier. The one I saw was not so big that it would have been very visible to drivers if it were on the top of a hill. That means that the one I saw could have been the adolescent offspring of the one seen by the earlier poster. If so, maybe there is a den nearby. I know exactly where I saw the dead animal so a wildlife person or ranger could easily investigate. If the other poster saw the parent in May and I saw a dead adolescent one in November I bet that there is one that has set up a resident in the area.

My mom lives in Rome new york. She was driving to work during the early morning 2 days ago and she absolutely most definitely saw a mountain lion. It leaped across the road right in front of her. She said she's never seen an animal move like that. Or a tail so long and distinct!!!
Scares me to think how I used to ride my bike with my brother through those country roadS!! Yikes!!!

There is no doubt there are Mountain Lions in Otsego County. My wife and I saw one between Milford and Mt. Vision after the tornado cleared the hill of trees. We were driving in broad daylight and a juvenile ML crossed 5 feet in front of us. It had a long tail and was yellow. It was defiantly a young one because of the size.

This is a follow up to my post above. Well I have not seen another mountain lion since the dead one I saw on i-81. I was just reading the start of this thread and read the one from Marathon. Well, Marathon is only 8.9 miles from Whitney Point, NY. The description sounds so similar to what I wrote and to what the other guy (see my post above) wrote (and said). Wish someone would explore the woods off I-17. I keep doing google searches looking for evidence that others saw what I did on the side of the road that day. This compare this post to mine a few posts above:
" Posted by Mark (orthoboy2@hotmail.com) on Mon, Nov 5, 07 at 17:55
99.9% sure I saw a mountain lion while hunting near Marathon NY on Sun. It was 40-50 pounds, catlike round face, round tail that swept up at the end, very smooth fur, and very muscular. I could see the rear quarter muscles from 100 yards away. My only question was it was the color of a yellow lab. Not the color I thought a mountain lion to be. When I first saw it sneaking along a field edge thats what I thought it was, a lab. When it got closer I realized it was not a dog. I checked for tracks but couldn't find anything other than deer tracks. " And no, John Mer, what I saw and what this guy and what the Crokit saw, all within 8 miles of each other over a span of 4 years was not a Coyote with a swollen face. Come on. No, lots of people don't mistake one for the other. The animal I saw had beautiful think very dense or heavy fur.

Correction to post above . That should read I-81 not 17!

My uncle saw a mountain lion in East Chatham late at night, crossing the road in front of him, in 2010. He spent some time out West where they're more common and had seen many of them there; no mistaking it, from his point of view. He had the same experience talking with the DEC that others on this thread had - they denied they existed here.

I have also heard that mountain lions were released in the mountains around here by DEC, in very limited numbers, for deer population control. Can't say how true it is but I do hear that from a lot of folks.

@fuckingdickhead

Hello. I have posted these places hoping to
hear from others who saw what I did. In November I was driving from Syracuse to
Binghamton, NY. It was around 10:30 am. Soon after I passed the Whitney Point
exit, but well before Castle Creek, I saw a dead cat on the left shoulder of
the road. This was a huge red cat. It was obviously dead but its face and body
were intact. The face was rounded-a cross between a raccoon kind of face and a
domestic cat. -Sweet and round. It had a very long tail that had fur that was
straight (not fuzzy or curly) and the tail was rope-like. The legs were long.
The color was very close to the red you would see on a domestic red cat-solid
color not spotted and not merely tan with reddish tint-clearly orange red. I
would say its back would have been about 2-3 feet off the ground had it been
standing. It was thin and the fur on it was not fuzzy but short. I was
traveling at 65mph and by the time I had processed what I saw it was too late
to easily pull over. I was late too. I called the police (I think Castle Creek
but can't recall-maybe Broome county sheriff- not sure.) and the dispatcher
showed interest. She said she would have someone check it out. I called her
later that day. She said she was so curious about it that she went herself during
her lunch hour but by then it was gone. She said someone probably took it for
the fur. Then she started listing the kind of animal it could have been.

Now, I know nothing about wild animals but was
surprised by the animals she listed because they were the sort of animal I
assumed existed only in places like Africa (I've got the suburban NY-view of
the world) or the zoo. I began to Google the various animals she suggested to
compare to what I saw. What I saw was clearly most similar to a mountain lion.
But, the face was round and did not have the long muzzle that the pictures
show. So, I think it was probably young-although the pictures of the young mountain
lions suggest that they are not solid in color. Maybe there is an adolescent
period when the body becomes solid color and the face is still round?

@fuckingdickhead (cont)

It was only after I looked at pictures of all kinds of animals that I started to read about Mountain lions in NY. I had no idea there was any controversy about whether they exist or not. (I add this because I have no vested interested in proving that they do or do not exist) I did not know they ever existed in NY. In fact, I would have been quite surprised to hear that they existed in this country at all. Anywhere. So, when the dispatcher mentioned things like mountain lions and panthers I was very surprised. I posted a description of what I had seen on Topic in the hope someone else had seen it and could let me know what it was. All I got was a few snide comments. Then I started to Google more seriously because it began to bother me that I could not figure this out. At that point I found this post
"05-05-2011, 06:48 PM #1
Crochet
Posts: 158
Mountain lion sighting
First, let me state that I have all my faculties, excellent eye sight, and am not given to exaggerations.

Today, while traveling south on Interstate 81, between Syracuse and Binghamton, I saw a Mountain Lion / Cougar/Panther, pick your noun. !! 100% positive, absolutely no doubt. There is ZERO chance that it was anything else. The only other thing it could have possibly been (other than a live mountain lion/cougar/panther) is a full body mount of a mountain lion/cougar/panther and someone pulling a prank. It was less than 100yds off the West side of the road, sitting on top of a section of rock/cliff that the highway had been cut through. It was sitting on its haunches, leaning forward, and ears forward, looking down onto/across the highway. It was about 30-40 feet above the highway. Just before the " Castle creek 1 mile " highway sign.
When I screamed " holy F%^K, a mountain lion, scaring the S#$T out my buddy who was driving almost lost control at 75 mph.

An absolutely beautiful animal, well-muscled, excellent specimen. Up until now, whenever I've seen reports of sightings, I've taken them with a grain of salt. No more!

Anyone know of any other recent reported sightings in that area?

Wilderness: Can you put me in touch with any of the state Dec/Rangers/etc. from that area?"

And my post on Topic was as follows:

"Just wondering
East Syracuse, NY
huge red fox, mountain lion or lynx on I-81 (S) near Castle Creek
Nov 9, 2011
Did any one see a dead huge cat like animal on the southbound side of I-81 about a mile closer to Syracuse then the exit for Castle Creek. It was on the left lying an its side, obviously dead and huge. If you did see it, or heard someone else talking about it, what was it? It looked like it had a body like a mountain lion, a long tail with long fur-not bushy and a face that was rounder like a lynx. Its color was pretty uniformly red-not mixed or strips or anything like that. I was moving too fast and, once I had processed what I saw, I had gone too far to see it. Apparently someone picked it up, probably for its fur, because it was gone soon thereafter. I saw it at around 10:40am Tuesday morning. If you did not see it but is familiar with the wild life around there, any ideas? Any information would be appreciated.

What do you think? These two sightings are at identical places. I do not believe that they are both mirages. Also, if the one I saw was young, it would not have been as visible to a driver on I-81 6 months earlier. The one I saw was not so big that it would have been very visible to drivers if it were on the top of a hill. That means that the one I saw could have been the adolescent offspring of the one seen by the earlier poster. If so, maybe there is a den nearby. I know exactly where I saw the dead animal so a wildlife person or ranger could easily investigate. If the other poster saw the parent in May and I saw a dead adolescent one in November I bet that there is one that has set up a resident in the area.

I've heard reports of a FisherCat in the area, and several reports of them in the region. What you're describing sounds more like one of those than anything else. They're a vicious critter, and will clean out a henhouse in a night. Not afraid of dogs, coyotes, or much else, either. Years ago I saw what I believed then, and still do, to be a cougar, but nothing like that in years.

Definitely FisherCats here near Binghamton. We have watched them at my dad's in Conklin.

A friend told me recently that a mountain lion was captured on a 'wildlife camera' in Kingston. They've also been seen in Saugerties. I've seen a wolverine in Saugerties & they are reputed to live in Shokan also.

I was born an raised in Orleans County NY near Lake Ontario. My dad was an avid hunter an spent many days and nights in the woods back in the 70 an 80's. He coon hunted extensively. One night his dogs treed something but it defiantly wasn't a coon. He could tell by the way they were barking and growling. He heard a huge ruckus of the dogs barking suddenly the one female screamed in pain and came running to him but the male took off after something and didn't return home till the next morning. He had some injuries deep gnashing but nothing life threatening. My dad was also followed during the day while out squirrel hunting he could hear the crashing of sticks but only slight flashes of a brownish color fur, ,when he stopped walking it stopped,he was in a heavy thicket so couldn't get a clear look. Then one spring standing in his front yard he saw what he thought was a cougar crossing the hay field and then across the road. It left a foot print in the mud. He called DEC they came took plaster of it but refused to confirm it was a cougar. This was early 1983 or 84. My father was born an raised in WV so he's seen panthers/Cougars while growing up. I wish he was still with us to finally see others are now confirming what he had said for yrs.

Just saying but some of you encountered Bigfoot. The screams like a woman being murdered the story above about being followed and the sound stopping when you do. I totally believe you have seen or heard Mountain Lions PA gas them too but some of the experiences are Bigfoot.

I saw a black panther in the Catskills Mts. over 40 years ago while returning for a annual hunting trip. It bounded across the road, only touching the center of the road once.

Amazing and beautiful. On Cooley road next to Fir Brook, Long Pond/ Blue Hill area.

I will never forget what i saw and yes people dismiss it for proof. I talked to and old timer who grew up in that area and he confirmed his own sightings over the years. Believe! They Live!

Last week my neighbor was in my backyard trying to get some pesky messy geese to fly away when he spotted a large animal walking along the grass line next to the woods behind his house. Our properties back up to the Hamlin Marsh in the Town of Clay NY. He was stunned by the size of the animal as it was only 60 yards away from him. He noted the animal had a large rounded head with rounded ears and was bigger than a large dog. He also noted the catlike gate of the animal. The animal appeared focused on a trail of a possible prey. At 40 yards away from his position the animal turned into the woods onto a deer trail. When the animal turned into the woods he noticed the elongated body and an extremely long tail on the animal. The animal was camel colored. I would also like to add my observation of the disappearance of morning and evening sightings of multiple deer crossing my property along with the lack of signs of coyotes in the last month. I also took a picture of a large scat that was found on my neighbors back yard. It is probably coyote or possibly a mountain lion.

http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/6974.html

In 1969 I went to a summer camp in Mountaindale, NY. One day some of the counselors reported that a townie claimed that he had seen a mountain lion locally.

I don't think people have ever stopped claiming to see them. I don't think they've ever been completely gone and new ones migrate in to add to the population.

One day, even the government will admit they are here.

I had a mountain lion cross the road while driving from hunting camp, location was on pole road, next to fir brook and blue hill near willowemac. New York. Cat crossed the road from the brook on right bounded across with one leap in the center and clearing the road into the left ditch. Amazing sight and never will forget this beautiful creature. My only sighting in 51 years of hunting. Beautiful thing, but surprising! lots of na sayers out there but they are here.

I live in Rochester, N.H. Last year in 2018, I saw a (black)Mountain Lion in my back yard. I have homing pigeons, It was laying in the grass staring at the homing pigeons, it rose up from the grass as I walked towards it, when I relealized what it was, I walked backwards away from it, it slowly sank back it the grass( it was tall we had not cut it yet). I went into the house called my dad on the phone(and said Dad there is a monster in the backyard).

Around July 10, 2019, my wife and I were driving west on I-90 near Syracuse. i thought I saw a deer in the ditch, but as I went by, the figure looked back at me and it was definitely a mountain lion. Beautiful animal!

They may be (or have been) rare, but my friend and I 100 percent saw a black panther in Windsor, NY in the early eighties. I know other residents in the Windsor area who saw them and have video (I wish they'd share it online somewhere). It was not a large house cat, it was unmistakable.

I am in northern WESTCHESTER COUNTY and took this picture of a bobcat sauntering past my bedroom window at 11 am.

My Son use to come up to a Farm that my ex husband had ..him and his friends would do paint guns wars and ride their ATV on top of the hill behind our house...one evening he went out on the trails when he came back...he and his friend told of seeing a very large cougar as they rounded the corner, bolting off into the brush....that was the end of them coming to the farm to play...and being a hunter back then i noticed a 5-6

' around birch tree that was being shredded.by something with claws ..i just figured it was a bear, then i started watching and found large paw prints CAT prints..I went right home and got on the cougar rescue site....They were from a Cougar....Kirkwood, New York...WHICH IS 7 Miles from village of Windsor, off rt 17....and 2 miles to Binghamton,New York..

D.E.C. Has been repopulating New York State with Cougar's ,Panther's,Puma what ever you want to call them.....But they will never admit to it, cause then you'd be able to hold them accountable if someone gets killed...They been doing it for year's to thin out the Deer populations....Due to the Car Insurance Companies complaint's ...

I absolutely believe black panthers are in Allegany and Steuben NY I grew up on Webb's crossing in Hornell where a previous poster commented. I heard them in the woods. I saw one one day with a friend, it was big, large dog sized, black with a long tail. Not a cougar or a bob cat. I don't care what the dnr says I'm not crazy. That area has so much super remote places they have lots of space to hide. In the late 1800s black panther were all over Allegany county and troublesome, it's in the town histories.

Back in the early 1980s I was getting ready for work , I lived at the edge of the Alabama swamps in East Shelby New York I heard what sounded like a small child screaming from behind my neighbors house . I told my wife to get my rifle , I went out onto my front porch and seen my neighbors cat trying to fight with a cougar it had to be at least 8 foot long from nose to tail , There was no way I could have missed him from where I was. It turned and walked into the swamps below my home. A couple days later we went to the Orleans County 4H fair I told the conservation officer what I seen he told me it was impossible because there isn't any here , I also told him if it would of went towards the cat I would of shot it. He told me then you would go to jail for killing an indangered animal, I asked how could that be if there isn't any around here . He said I was just a smartass and to stop bothering him.

Has anyone heard of mountain lion attacking a horse on turkey hill in berkshire ny?

Sunday August, 15th 2021 around 2:30 PM, driving East on Route 20 in our RV my Wife and I saw a brownish color animal crossing northward on the road ahead of us. We stared looking intently trying to identify the animal. As we neared closer to it we could see that it wasn't a Dog, Deer the body was low and long. It had a long tail. The head was rounded with pointed ears. We got a great left side view and profile. We then both realized that it was a Mountain Lion and declared it out loud at the same time. We weren't sure where we were exactly on Route 20 until we reached the sign for Cherry Valley about a half mile or less from where we saw the animal. I have read the threads above. I don't know if it is an escaped pet, a vagrant passing through, or a resident! All I know is what we saw in broad daylight and it was NOT a Fisher, a Bobcat, a House Cat, or a figment of our imagination! It Was A Mountain Lion!!

A few years ago me and my buddy were taking a late night drive in Lenox, Ny (it is in between Oneida ny and Canatosta Ny). We were going around a curve in the road when i saw a camel/dark tan colored big cat next to the road looking to cross. I thought I was crazy until my dads buddy who lives 5 min from sighting told me hes seen a couple around on his way to work. Now i have a more recent sighting on Lake road in Oneida ny. My grandparents live on that road and one day I was fishing oneida creek behind their house, there is about a mile in between the house and the creek with very thick woods. I was just fishing when I looked down and saw a huge cat like footprint in the mud at the creek bank, it looked pretty fresh so i decided to walk downstream towards Oneida lake. I walked about a half mile downstream until i saw a big cat identical to the one i saw on Buyea Road. It was moving very swift and quick, something ive never seen before. I watched it for about 10 seconds until it dissapeared into the woods. Mountain lions are far from ”extinct” in upstate NY. I believe there is actually a good population. There is so much hilly land up here and alot of deep woods for them to hide.

I saw one last night near Binghamton. Not a deer (expected). Not a dog, A cat...

130-150ish. My fish don't grow bigger, stories don't change, I couldn't make up better, So:

Bout 26-27" high by 40ish" length

Moved quick (fast,steady,quick)

That's it. As stated previously "something I've never seen before". I'll look for tracks in area's near this weekend & report back.....

Tracks on Turnpike Road

Did not report back, Did not have a chance to canvas the area North between Struble Rd. / Endwell Greens. Said: Hoped that as it was start of Deer Season someone might spot it too.

If Turnpike Rd. Greene NY....... Love to see Pic's of those tracks. I will still check the area here for kicks..... and i will report back.

Anyway, Said....... I will walk Patterson Creek (Fk it) Tomorrow & I'll post pics. Note I'd expect nothing found......but It's the water source below where I saw it cross Struble just above Rosewood.

Test Pic upload. I know Tracks - Fox & and foot past week driveway.

All these people claiming they for sure seen a black mountain lion, really lower the credibilty of all reponses here. There has never been a positive identification of a melanisyic mountain lion ever in history. All have been melanistic jaguars... which would be even more ridiculous than a black mountain lion sighting in New York. also to the conspiracy theorists about the DEC catering to the insurance companies.... why wouldnt they just issue more tags, most hunters would be happy and it would help with reducing population of deer.