Screaming or howling in Lincoln County, Georgia

The year was 1978 or 1979, opening day of deer season. We had set up camp the day before and later scouted for the right hunting spot. I chose an area within sight of water from Clarks Hill lake, with lots of deer sign. Saturday morning, opening day, I made my way to my tree stand around 5am,a dense fog was beginning to roll in off the lake and with the darkness and fog, visibility was zero even with a flaslight. Before daylight, I began to hear screaming like sounds coming from an area above me, they seem to be getting closer as the mins went by, I was about 25 ft off the ground and still I was frozen with fear. I could tell the sounds were close, by the brushes and leaves making a noise and with a few mins I could hear it passed under my tree, I tried to shine my light but it was useless with the fog and darkness.Whatever it was, it continued on pass me still making those sounds. The fog lifted that morning and around 10:30, I saw one of the hunting camp buddys walking near my area, I whistled to let him know where I was and he walked over and begin to explain what he had heard that morning. I told him it had passed under me but didnt stop. We told our story to the other camp hunters but they had been in other areas and had heard nothing. I went back the following weekend and waited till the crack of daylight to walk to my stand. I didnt wont to meet this thing before daylight. Around 7:30 am, I killed a deer and went back to camp. My friend who had heard the sounds the weekend before came back to camp with matted hair he had found near his stand and when unrolled some of these were almost 20 inches in lenght. Several months later he told he had someone at the U of Georgia look at them and was told the were not horse or pig hair but without further testing they couldnt determine. The best of my memory it was dropped with out further checking. Thats been over 27 years ago and he has since died.