Joe Bush joins the Hall of Fame
Fall 2026
By Ben Baker
Clinton “Joe” Bush is going into the American Kennel Club Hall of Fame. He goes into the HOF through American Field. And yes, he has four dogs in the HOF as well, Fiddlers Pride being the one he is pictured with. Fiddlers Pride is his all-time favorite dog.
Photo courtesy of Joe Bush.
The official announcement from American Field says, “The Hall of Fame Selection Committee met to discuss and vote on the eligible nominees for the 2026 Hall of Fame Election. The UKC is proud to announce our latest Hall of Fame electees. In the Person’s category, congratulations to Mr. Clinton “Joe” Bush, with a 50-year history as not only a premier scout on the open all-age circuit but also for his important contributions in assisting in the training and development of some of the sport’s most legendary performing dogs.”
The AKC announcement is, “The United Kennel Club (UKC) proudly announced their latest Hall of Fame electees for the American Field Birddog Show Competition. Mr. Clinton Joe Bush, a Sylvester local, was elected in the Person’s category to this year’s Hall of Fame. Bush started at age 14 showing Field Try Birddog Show Competitions. With 50 years’ experience, he has competed as a premier scout on the open all-age circuit all over America and into Canada. Bush also has made contributions assisting in the training and development of some of the sport’s most legendary performing dogs. One such dog is Fiddlers Pride who also is in the Hall of Fame. Bush will attend the Annual award Presentation later in the year at the Bird Dog Hall of Fame and Museum in Grand Junction, Tennessee to receive his award.”
Bush said he grew up with a love of hunting birds. “My Daddy had hunting dogs,” he recalled. He listed off some names that are also HOFers or someday will be. He hunted alongside them. “Training and showing dogs. I scouted for 70 championships.”
Joe Bush has scouted for 70 bird dog championships. Photo courtesy of Joe Bush.
Getting into one championship is a goal many hunters have and few achieve. To make it into 70 speaks volumes about Joe Bush, his work ethic and the dogs he has trained over the years. “I’ve had a bunch,” he said.
His favorite breed is the English Pointer. The Pointer is a short-haired dog, often with spots. The United Kennel Club describes the breed as, “The four most distinctive features of the English Pointer are its long, chiseled head, the short ‘bee-sting’ tail, strong hunting instincts, and effortless, hard-driving movement. The Pointer can be somewhat aloof with strangers but is an excellent family companion, eager to please and particularly good with children.”
Bush said he likes the breed because of how they work in the field.
“I like the English Setter too (a long-haired dog), but the English Pointer is the best. They are tough, rough and they go in. Hot weather; they don’t back in briars,” he said. “I’ve run them in Canada and I run them in Kentucky when the ground froze. I run them in Grand Junction, Tennessee, headquarters of the AKC and American Field. They kept it up for the whole time, three hours.”
People who hunt behind working dogs know that a three-hour run is a long time for these dogs. On the ground, the dog will cover a lot more ground than the humans walking with them. The dogs also move faster and so wear out much sooner than their two-legged hunting buddies.
That stamina is also part of a favorite memory.
“One of the invitations, I won it four different times. That is a hard stake to win. It is a grueling test. The first day you run for an hour. The second day, an hour. The third day, if you get called, you run back for two hours. It takes a real tough dog to do that,” he said. “The ground was frozen solid and they would run for two hours.”
While the dogs are hunting birds, Bush and the others are not during the trials.
“You shoot blank guns over them,” he said. “When working them, I have killed birds and kept them. In a show, you don’t shoot the birds. You shoot in the air and make sure they are not gun shy.”
A gun-shy dog will jump and sometimes run at the sound of the gun. A trained dog holds point. Point means the dog is stiff, standing on three legs, tail straight back and one front leg lifted and bent to “point” toward the birds.
“I have broken gun-shy dogs for people,” he said. That means training the dog to not react to the sound of the gun. “I helped folks over the years.”
Locally, many hunters walked behind dogs he trained at the Southern Woods Plantation and other places in the South. No doubt some of his trained dogs also appeared in the big celebrity and fundraiser quail hunts in Southwest Georgia. “I trained for different plantations and different folks over the years,” he said. “I broke records.”
One record he is proud of is that he is the first black man to train dogs and run in Grand Junction. “I ran the whole three hours. I’ve done it a couple of times,” he said.
He first learned of his nomination and inclusion into the HOF when the announcement was released.
“I was nominated. It went to a committee. I was in the running for 5 or 6 years. I’m in now,” he said. “It’s like baseball, basketball, football and golf. Like Michael Jordan being in the Hall of Fame for basketball, Tiger Woods for golf. Serena and Venus Williams in the Hall of Fame for tennis. Now, Joe Bush in the Hall of Fame for training and showing bird dogs.” What’s next? Cool weather and more birds and dogs. “When it cools off, I am fixing to get out of here and work some,” he said.
Ben Baker is the Executive Editor of B&H Publications, including the Wiregrass Farmer Newspaper in Ashburn. He also is a member of the Georgia Outdoor Writers Association. Ben can be contacted at redneckgenius@gmail.com.