I am sorry but there are not ANY mountain lions in NYS, much less a breeding population. I have spent countless hours hunting, morning till night, all over NYS and I have litterally seen EVERY single animal this state has to offer. NEVER have I seen myself, or someone with valid proof of mountain lions in NYS.
What we do have, that are commonly mistaken for mountain lions, are large bobcats, and fishers. The fisher is most commonly mistaken for a mountian lion and not coincidentally, have a large population where you were just predator hunting. They have very long, cat like tails, and range from black, brown and blonde in color.