The original question was what we thought was a very versatile hunting dog. I threw German Shorthairs out there because my dad used to raise them when I was growing up and I know that they are used for multiple hunting applications. Labs are a great option and are very popular.
That being said, I wanted an intelligent, smaller, versatile breed and after quite a bit of research and phone calls eventually decided to go with a Boykin Spaniel. There are two (2) hunting breeds developed in the United States, Chesapeake Bay Retrivers and Boykin Spaniels. The Boykin had somewhat of a cult following in South Carolina for a number of years and are extremely intelligent and versatile. They are actually the state dog of South Carolina and are referred to as "the dog that doesn't rock the boat" since they were bred for duck hunting out of smaller boats and canoes in the swamps of the Carolinas. I have one that is turning 14 soon that I didn't get a chance to hunt with much due to my wife being very sick for a number of years, and she basically turned into a family pet. We picked up a young female last year that is about 14 months now. These little browns dogs make great family/house/companion dogs and are a bundle of energy. Boykins are used for ducks, upland birds, doves, fall turkeys, shed hunting, blood trailing game, and they are actually used in box turtle research for several Universities. I really don't ever see myself without a Boykin Spaniel in my home and that is why the Boykin Spaniel gets my vote.