Three nights in a row is the bit that gets me. Animals don't do that. Even if it was something mundane like a coyote or a deer, they move on. They don't come back to the same spot and circle the same structure repeatedly like they're... I don't know, casing the place.
Did you ever get a look at teh ground afterwards? Tracks or anything flattened in the undergrowth? That would narrow it down massively.
The Ozarks have a weird history too, there's been stuff reported in that area for decades, not just Bigfoot type encounters but genuinely strange aerial activity and lights. I'm not saying jump straight to the wild conclusions but it's worth digging into what others have reported in that specific region.
What time of night was it circling? That detail matters more than people realise. 2-3am activity patterns are different from dusk stuff, behaviourally speaking for wildlife but also in terms of what the stranger reports tend to describe.
Genuinely interested in this one. Post more details if you have them.