big cats in Central New York
About 3 years ago, I was paddling up the headwaters of the west branch of the Tioghnioga River near Preble, near where I-81 passes between Upper Little York Lake and Goodale Lake. We were paddling up the stream from Goodale Lake, going around a bend, when my bow paddler, Carole, said in a hushed exclamation, "Mike, did you see that?" I hadn't. Being in the stern, I didn't see around the bend quite as soon as she did. I asked her what she saw. She said it was a big cat How big? Taller at the shoulder than her Vishlas (short-haired pointers), which sounded bigger than a bobcat. I asked her where she saw it. The cat crossed the stream ahead of us from right to left. I asked where, and Carole indicated a break in the brush ahead on the left. I started paddling towards it, naturally curious, and Carole began expressing apprehension. I said not to worry, that wild animals are afraid of humans. I found fresh feline tracks in the mud coming out of the stream into the woods. I put my hand in a track, and was able to fit three fingers from first to second knuckle inside the impression, without touching the sides. I wear men's large or extra-large gloves. I wanted to try tracking the animal, but Carole would not hear of it. She was not happy staying in the area at all, and being left alone in the canoe was out of the question. We paddled back downstream, went under I-81 and took out.
I asked Carole to describe the animal further. Definitely a cat. Short tail? No, long. Spotted coat? No, tawny, washed-out looking. Between that and the size of the tracks, it did not sound like a bobcat. Tufted ears? No. Doesn't sound like a lynx.
I didn't see the animal, but I put my fingers in the tracks. This sighting was about 1/4 to 1/2 mile from the rest area on the north-bound side of I-81 south of Tully. My guess is that Carole saw a cougar or eastern mountain lion. Any other opinions?