Hills & Thermals Whitetail Hunting Web Class

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Use Thermals to Your Advantage!

Did you know that most of the bucks featured at the top of this page on my wall were shot hunting hills and thermals? It's true!

Yet many of the most experienced hunters I know even have trouble with thermals.

Let's face it, 50% of all whitetail hunters hunt in enough hills to experience thermals and to really learn why you would you hunt in one location in the morning or another location in the evening—or vice versa.

There are a lot of tricks and tactics that you can take advantage of and throughout this Web Class, I'll teach you how to "cheat" the wind and how you should use the wind to your advantage.

I'm hoping that the experience that I have with hills and thermals—going back to the early '90s—will guide you to success!

Hills and Thermals Screen Cap

Learn from an innovator in whitetail hunting since 1995

Featuring 16 online video lessons in over 8 hours of video grouped into 3 modules, you’ll learn:

  • Saddle, Bench, Draw and other topographic terms and what they mean during the hunt
  • Morning and Evening Thermal Trends
  • How to "cheat" the wind and "forecast" it
  • How food affects where bucks bed in hill country
  • Determine the right location during the right time of day and how elevation plays a huge role
  • Why your stand location and elevation affects your scent
  • How deer move through hills
  • Using ditches and draws to your advantage
  • How to hunt in an actual valley (very tough!)
  • The quiet "Lee Side" Hunting Advantage

... and much, much more!

Jeff With Buck

Your Instructor

Jeff Sturgis takes decades of pursuing his passion, and then professionally transfers those pursuits into the enhancement of his client’s, reader's and viewer's hunting and habitat experiences, across the entire country. Jeff prides himself in creating the healthiest free-ranging deer herds in the world of whitetails, as well as taking on the challenge of hunting the oldest bucks in the neighborhood. Not only has he been able to create, own and operate a successful business in the whitetail industry since 2005, but he has been able to work along side his wife Diane while doing so.

Jeff received the QDMA's Deer Manager of the Year award in 2004, and hasn't stopped learning since. After studying and creating over 1000 whitetail videos and articles, as well as working on over 1000 client lands across 26 whitetail states, Jeff is in a league of his own when it comes to the ability to design your habitat, herd and hunt - anywhere a whitetail roams!

Thank you so much for everything you all do.
—Trevor -ON, Canada

Please let Jeff know he’s an inspiration to me.
—Terry E

Once you understand habitat and how to manipulate it the hunting part is easy. This guy will open your eyes to making your hunting better and more predictable.
—Brad C

Thank you for being so willing to share the knowledge that has taken you years of hard work to obtain. Cheers from SW Michigan!
—Tom

Thanks Jeff for making these priceless videos. So much info packed into these videos. Just a dry sponge soaking up all the great info in your videos and books.
—MeeLow

I have no idea where you find the time to film, write, teach, visit 100 properties... and kill 4 monster bucks! Kudos to you Jeff, you’re a machine!!
—Nick

I have learned so much from you! I never had no one to show me how to hunt, I learned as I went and also by watching your videos! Thank you!
—Lee

definitely worth it.
—Jason- WI

Kevan was fantastic.
—Brian- Ohio

Even though my land tract is small, I can still employ the design tactics covered in Jeff's book with a reasonable amount of success. A must have!
—Dennis B

Course Curriculum

Section 1: The Advanced Basics of Hills, Thermals and Whitetails
Elevation Advantage Rules (24:43)
Food Positioned Bedding (07:56)
Common Topo Terms (11:16)
Hill Country Scent Control (08:37)
Section 2: Critical Hills and Thermal Hunting Strategies
Where Do Bucks Bed In Hill Country? (27:25)
Forecasting the Wind (13:15)
Using "Clean Air" Above The Soil (09:02)
Lee Side Hunting Advantage (18:01)
How to Cheat the Wind (11:53)
Section 3: Exactly Where To Hunt In Hills and Thermals
Mid & Lower Point Hunting (15:06)
Evening Thermal Trends (26:42)
Morning Thermal Trends (26:48)
How To Hunt In A Valley (17:04)
Hunting the Top of a Draw (16:29)
Risk and Reward of Ditches and Draws (09:02)
"Plan B" Thermal Attack (21:06)

Hills

PLUS: Exclusive bonuses...

Exclusive WHS Hat

Most deer hunters love hats, and we know you will enjoy this exclusive, high quality hat made exclusively for this web class! Hopefully you will want to collect them all!
$30 Value

Workbook

Make sure to follow along with your web class workbook that will be personally signed by Jeff and mailed to your shortly after your purchase. For this second class, there is room for notes on each page, as well as pages to begin designing your program towards the end of the book.
a $30 Value

3ebooksincluded

... worth over $120!

Free eBook Collection

Along with the “How To Design Your Deer Hunting Parcel” web class, enjoy our first 3 eBooks as further foundations of content to assist you in more accurately designing your hunt, habitat and herd.
—$60 Value

Future Discounts For Upcoming Web Classes

After you purchase this web class, we're giving you a 20% Off savings code for a substantial savings on any other web class series that is in our library in the future. (This offer extends to retail price only, and your savings code can be used at any time after the initial 30 day introductory price for each web series.)

Membership In WHS Private Facebook Group

This is a private, “Members Only” Facebook page that is only available by invitation to web class purchasers and site visit clients. Are you tired of wading through the plethora of poor online advice? Then you can take advantage of high-quality discussions with passionate hunters and habitat managers who share a common goal of getting it done right the first time.
Priceless!

Learn from my decades of experience hunting in hill country

From the first time I hunted 700 foot elevations in Pennsylvania back in the early '80s and then moving to Wisconsin and Minnesota in 2002 and beyond, I took those decades of experience and have narrowed all that knowledge down to the best content you'll find in this web class.

I talk to hunters all the time about hills/thermals. And I even have clients where I'll come to their property—clients who've paid pay me a lot of money for me come check it out—and even though they've hunted hills for decades, they're really not experienced when it comes to making good decisions throughout the hunt guided by hills and thermals.

These concepts work, and have been originated by me personally and have been proven over decades of work by tens of thousands of viewers, readers and clients. While these are the concepts that flood my books and over 1000 articles and videos that can be found on my website and YouTube channel, this is the most comprehensive set of content that can be used to effectively hunt hills – within the steps that you should work to complete them in.

My WHS Web Classes are the next best thing to having me come teach you about thermals on your land in person, and I am excited to open the availability of these classes to a far greater number of folks than the number I personally work with per year – at a much more affordable price!

Frequently Asked Questions

When does the course start and finish?

The course starts now and never ends! It is a completely self-paced online course - you decide when you start and when you finish.

How long do I have access to the course?

After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like - across any and all devices you own.

What do I need to access the course?

If you have an Internet connection and a modern web browser, you'll be able to view the content.

Can I download the course for offline use?

Not at this time but please let us know if this is something you need. We might be able to make accommodations due to your circumstances (eg spotty/slow Internet, plane trip, etc.).

Is the course available on other formats (eg DVD, audio only).

Not at this time. However, please let us know if this is something you would find useful.

Are there closed-captions / transcript available?

Not yet, but please let us know so we can make accommodations.

What if I am unhappy with the course? Is there any refunds?

If you are unsatisfied, please let us know so we can address your concern.

I purchased the class—how do I login?

After you purchase the class, you will be prompted to create a password to this website and setup your account. If you forgot your password please try resetting it.

What Others Are Saying


My son and I had Jeff come out in early August 2022. We worked on the plan he provided us and finished it up the second week of September. We improved some bedding areas, combined 2 smaller food plots into one large plot, and created a deer trail all the way around the property to tie everything together. We hung several cameras on this trail; each over a mock scrape. We instantly noticed several deer using this trail. By thickening up the center of the property, a couple of nice bucks started to use our place as their new home. This provided me with the opportunity to take this nice 10 point the second week of November. He was a local buck on our 40 acres, and we had several daytime pictures of him. We had been working on our property for about five years and thought we were on the right track. However, by having Jeff come out to help us improve our habitat plan, we realized we needed to make some changes. Now we are very confident that we have a great deer hunting property now. Phil and Matt R, Central Michigan

Phil R- Michigan

I wanted to send these over so you could forward them to Jeff, I have hunted in Western PA my whole life and to shoot a buck over 120” is an accomplishment for most hunters. I have spent hours watching Jeff’s youtube videos. The pictures below are from bucks I shot since I started listening to what he taught on his videos about 4 years ago. Prior to watching his videos I never shot anything bigger than a 125” buck. I just wanted to take a moment to thank him for his dedication and knowledge, he has helped me to become a way better hunter and not spend an eternity of hours in the woods spooking deer. The biggest buck shot was one on a cold front morning, I had covid and had about a 700 yard walk to get to my stand in order to not spook them going in. I felt terrible but knew I had to be there. I learned where he was bedding and where he was eating. It was pouring down rain and when the rain stopped at 7:00 I shot the buck at 7:18 like clockwork. I recommend his videos to all of my friends and will always promote his business. I have been busy with work which is why im getting these plot mixes so late. Prior to this year I never needed food plots to hunt as I just took the basic principals I learned from jeff and used them, in this case this year I have to keep my target bucks a little closer on a new property since there is so much pressure here. Anyways Thanks again Jeff for all you do and continue to do, im excited to share the knowledge I have learned from you with my kids. Im not a kiss ass type of person but figured you might enjoy seeing the good that your doing by helping hunters.

Thank you,

Josh

Josh L- Pennsylvania

Jeff visited us in Central Michigan for the first time in the spring of 2022. In the 3 years we have hunted the property before Jeff’s consultation we had shot 4 bucks all scoring between 95”- 105” Jeff came out and gave us a plan. The biggest take away for us was to create significantly more depth of cover and access. Jeff had us move our food plots away from the middle of the property to create layers of bedding and helped us understand how to use the topography of our property for hunting access. I watched hours and hours of Jeff on YouTube and had a pretty good idea about what he was going to recommend, but having him in person able to apply his management philosophy to our property specifically directly made it easy. We started making changes immediately and that first hunting season, shot a 130” 5 year old 10 point.
This year, our switchgrass is coming in our food plots are expanding, and our blinds and stand locations are even better than before. We still have plenty of work ahead of us, but now, we have a plan. Thanks Jeff and the WHS team!

Bryan K- Michigan

This year, I’ve harvested three deer with my bow, here in Massachusetts. Pictured is my first bow buck, taken on November 11th, weighing 191 pounds before dressing. This is my second season bow hunting, after a 30-year break since my days of gun hunting in Trempealeau County.

I couldn’t have achieved this without Jeff’s instructional videos and texts. Please share my heartfelt gratitude with him.

Wyatt- MA

I am writing to thank Whitetail Habitat Solutions and Kevan Smith, my habitat consultant, for the outstanding analysis and plan he developed on 01 March 2025. I am a retired Naval officer and recently took the leap from public land hunting to buying my 30-acre parcel in late 2023 and luckily purchased the adjacent 30-acre parcel the week before Kevan’s visit. I was initially hesitant not being able to book Jeff (as my property is in western Maryland), but Kevan exceeded all expectations. He skillfully assessed my property as we walked around and upon completion provided me with a masterful strategy and map of how to hunt the property, stand locations, as well as where and what to plant in my food plots. He took the time to explain everything in great detail to ensure my understanding as well as defining the order of the tasks necessary to improve my hunting property. I’ve had to miss many hunting seasons throughout my 22-year Naval career and want to take full advantage of the seasons I have left. Kevan’s advice will enable me to maximize this opportunity. Not only has his guidance prevented wasted years in trial and error by having the wrong stand locations, access routes or incorrect food plots, it will save money by not undertaking unnecessary tree cutting or wasted time on erroneous habitat improvements. It truly was a master class – and specifically tailored to my hunting property. I strongly encourage anyone on the fence about hiring Kevan for your habitat consultant to get off that fence right now and book him today!

Brian - MD

Hills & Thermals Whitetail Hunting Web Class

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