I would agree with wags, you might look at a blood line that points for the pheasants. Kelloggs Kennel's in South Dakota is an excellent line that offer all 3 colors but they don't have a website that I know of.

May I suggest you look into a versitle hunting dog. Versitile breeds point, retrieve on land and water and track. Look for a NAVHDA club in your area. If you go to their training sessions you'll get to see many breeds work and make your choice. I have a pudelpointer and would not have another dog,her nose is much better than any of my labs. I trained labs for 30 years, but wanted something that would point.
NAVHDA clubs are the most helpful people you will ever meet and are glad to help you train. Some of the versitle breeds are: Brittany,German short and long haired pointers, wire haired pointing griffon,small musterlanders,spinoni, visla,Wiemeraner(sp),pudelpointer,and more, each with it's own good points. Most are good house dogs.

lab. very versatile

The only other kind of dog I have heard of that makes a great bird dog is a Weimeraner. We had two that we had to get rid of and even though I never trained them as bird dogs I only heard good things about them. The dog trainer here in town said she has seen a Weim get trained to go up to a closed gate, lift up the latch, open the gate, close it behind him, and put the latch down. We have a black lab now and she is also great. My neighbor hunts duck and he has two brown labs he uses.

I would definately say a Lab. I've hunted with labs for waterfowl and pheasant and you just can't beat um.

Lab, but keep anything you want to keep, out of the pups reach. This includes furniture, wood, metal, anything. Do not be fooled into thinking "there is no way he could chew that up", trust me he can and he will!

I have hunted with many dogs. In my opinion the Lab is the best all around choice. My lab is a great hunter and is also the family pet. She has a great temperment and is an awsome retriever. She will work for anyone. What ever you decide on I strongly recommend purchaseing Water Dog the DVD for a training tool.

AS I WAS COMING UP I WAS LUCKY TO HAVE RELATIVES THAT RAISED BRITIANYS AND LABS.IT WAS THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS.I'VE HUNTED WITH MANYKINDS OF DOGS SINCE. MY CURRENT COMPANION IS A CHESSIE/CHOCOLATE LAB.HE WAS EASY TO TRAIN AND LOVES TO HUNT.I STRONGLY SUGGEST GATHER ALL THE IMFORMATION YOU CAN BEFORE YOU FIND YOUR NEW PUP.GOODLUCK AND HAPPY HUNTING!!!

Wimeys!!!! Just an awesome breed mine is my upland princess, but not the best waterfowler, she goes for ducks but not her favotite activity shes great field hunting but noi\t the greatest water dog, but if I wanted a hardcore duck dog would have got a lab. Major bonus is my Slick Silver Sneaker Snatcher is a great companion she switches between pet and bird dog better than any other dog I have ever had, plus bird dogs are supposed to be high energy, since the season ended my wiemerarner Ava has been firmly installed on the sofa with no ill effects, when oct. rolls around she will be rarin' to go after the birds but Jan.-Aug. she just hangs with my kids and snoozes on the sofa contradiction yes bird dogs are supposed to be wide open all the time, but you won't hear me complaine aboput my "lazy" bird dog!!!!!

Well I am curious if I would have any luck training a German Short hair to track wounded whitetail while still excelling in duck retrieving, and quail pointing?

My weim is a strong swimmer/retriever/gun dog. Very smart and loyal and extremely versatile. However they require mental stimulation and exercise. Just like with any other breed, I would recommend checking the bloodline for waterfowl and bird hunting, some weims aren't as prone to being water dogs.

For what its worth, if you are looking for a dog with shed loads of energy, that will retrieve in anything, and hunt all day. For me its a Cocker Spaniel, might be that's my gun dog.
But I agree with the team above, if its for some pheasants but mostly jumping in the water to get ducks/geese and a bit of bird hunting....Lab...hard to beat. or a Flat coat Retriever
Think about amount of energy needed, if the dog is going to set in a hide for hours and then get the goodies out of the water, vs. going through every brush pile around, every clump of hedge..

Bryan Nelson

I'm also new to the forum so bear with my fumbling. This is from my post in the answers section:

"Labs are the best. Color doesn't matter. Best retriever I ever had was actually a lab-golden cross but she looked like a small black lab. Probably no more than 50 pounds dripping wet but she was wicked on big western honkers. She loved the challenge. Also a guided missile on blind retrieves. I have two black females now - 55 and 65 lbs. They are a great team. Great for pheasant hunting as well. Both work close and the smaller one will even point if the birds will hold. She flushed and retrieved her first bird (hungarian partridge) at age three months and three days. She never looked back after that. Labs generally have a wonderful attitude and want to please."

I would also suggest you get two dogs if you have the time and facilities. I always only had one until recently. These two keep each other occupied and both are much fitter now that they live together. Originally bought the younger one when I was working out of town and living alone.

What you need is a gun dog you will work with a lot. And by alot I mean to like you, and you spend a lot of time communicating with. I've proven this over a number of times. I've gotten dogs out of the dog pound that look like they'd be a good gun dog. They are always pups, and I ask a lot of questions...then I spend a lot of enjoyambe time with them. I can tell them to go fetch me the paper outside, and they will bring it in to men. All have made very, very good gun dogs.

Although I have never trained a dog, I have been around many different breeds in a number of capacities.

Here are some thoughts:
First, (sorry if I may sound like your father, but I feel it's obligatory) think long and hard before getting your dog in college. Most guys (and I'm not very far out from graduation)I knew would get a dog, get tired of it and it would turn into a hellion without enough exercise. One had a wonderful lab, but he had it sent to special dog boot camp which wasn't cheap. Just make sure you have the time, because this little pup is going to depend on you completely for everything in its life.

Breeds:
First, here is the list of hunting dogs: http://www.akc.org/breeds/sporting_group.cfm

I would start my reading about them on akc.og, then try this website (or really any number of ones to help you familiarize yourself with the breeds): http://www.terrificpets.com/dog_breeds/

Go to the bookstore and spend an afternoon narrowing down your choice based on size, temperament, and exercise. Because the truth is this is first and foremost going to be your companion for the next, God willing, 15 years. He'll probably be the one helping you pick our your wife. Then consider your hunting requirements. Most dogs, in my experience, are smart and can get into whatever you require of them.

The versatile dogs are excellent, but with that versatility may come a fervor that can be hard to contain.

Vizsla's are wonderful, but very high energy. A "velco" dog, as in, they don't do well at home alone. I have attended 3 Vizlsa field trials and can tell you they can and will hunt anything under the sun or over the water. And they look good doing it.

Lab's are terrific for anything and everything, but make sure you get a good line because of over breeding (if money isn't an issue try http://www.uklabs.com/ up here in Oxford Mississippi for the top Labs in the world).

American Water Spaniel, Boykin Spaniel, or a Springer are three excellent dogs. The AWS and Boykin are lowER energy than your typical gun dog, and both are absolutely outstanding at upland and waterfowling. They are smaller breeds, too, and are generally better suited for apartment life.
The boykin is not registered with the AKC but you can find a breeder through their society: http://www.boykinspaniel.org/. They are very popular with Mississippi duck hunting. The AWS is very similar to the Boykin, a good friend of mine has one and we have hunted dove, quail and duck over it. Not as flashy as some of the other breeds, but hardworking and very kindhearted.

I would not go to GWP, GSP, or a Chessie, they are notorious for giving inexperienced handlers hell. GSP's are nuts as far as I'm concerned.

If you have experience with hunting and experience training/have a good mentor you can look into the VDD. Essentially the elite of the elite dog hunting world. Verein Deutsche Drathaar, a line of German Wirehair specially bred to do it all. Upland, Waterfowl, deer tracking. However, their breeders are highly selective about who they sell too..it's almost a cult. But they are hands down the special forces of the dog world.
http://www.vdd-gna.org/

I hope I didn't ramble, that's my two cents, for whatever it is worth.