The Outstanding Hunting Achievement Award (OHAA) committee has selected Dr. Mark Wayne as the 2020 award recipient. Dr. Wayne will be presented the prestigious award at the DSC Convention and Expo, Heritage, during the Saturday evening banquet on Jan. 11, 2020.
The OHAA is given solely for outstanding achievements in the finite area of big game hunting.
OHAA Chair Tom Montgomery said, “We are proud to recognize Dr. Mark Wayne with the 2020 Outstanding Hunting Achievement Award. For 40 years, the OHAA has acknowledged extraordinary hunting accomplishments across the world. We look forward to celebrating Dr. Wayne and welcoming him to the OHAA Committee.”
There are several criteria acceptable for this award, such as the collection of the North American 29, the DSC African Grand Slam and the completion of any 12 of the sheep of the world.
This year’s award winner, Dr. Mark Wayne, is a two-way qualifier with the North American 29 and the Wild Goats of the World. Both of these were completed in 2017. The North American Slam took 28 years and the Wild Goats of the World spanned 18 years. Dr. Wayne has been a DSC Life Member since 1999.
DSC Executive Director Corey Mason said, “Dr. Wayne’s 28-year pursuit of the North American Big Game Animals is a testament to his lifelong dedication to our hunting heritage. This feat alone recognizes the role Dr. Wayne has played in the conservation of many species across the United States.”
Dr. Wayne took his first big-game animal, a small South Texas whitetail, at the age of 13. His first non-whitetail big-game animal was a pronghorn antelope that he took in 1989 on a hunt with the late OHAA recipient Greg Bond.
After the completion of his pediatric residency, Dr. Wayne was able to hunt more extensively with trips across the United States, Mexico, Canada, Africa, Europe and the South Pacific. The completion of the North American 29 was a slow and steady process with one to three hunts per year while the Wild Goats of the World animals came at a more rapid pace. The final animal of the 29 was a desert sheep taken on Carmen Island.
“The highlight of that hunt was to be able to share it with my wife of 30 years, Angie, and my mother, Sara,” Dr. Wayne said.
Mark’s children, Rachel and Colton, have each been awarded the DSC Colin Caruthers Young Hunter Award.
To watch Mark receive this prestigious award during the Saturday evening banquet, register here.
