Now here is something I can sink my teeth into!

The three breeds you mention are all capable of doing what you are asking. The question you really need to ask, however, is what will you do most? The types of hunting are very different.

Pheasants and blues are usually solitary birds, while sharpies are normally found in small coveys. Blues live in the woods and are pretty forgiving of sloppy dogwork: They'll let a dog get pretty close before flushing. Pheasants live in the brush and run like thieves from the scene of a crime at the first sign of a dog. Sharpies live in open country and depend on eyesight (and lots of eyes) to spot predators, and they can see a LONG way. Dogs won't be able to get too close to them.

What I'm trying to say is that you should get the best possible dog for what you plan on doing most, and hopefully let experience teach it how to handle the other birds.

Strictly speaking, the most difficult thing for the dog in question will be sharptails in open country. Not because they are any harder to hunt than pheasants (they aren't), but because the dog will have to be rock-steady on point (he may be a ways out from you when he makes game) and have a good enough nose to point the birds from a safe distance. This presents a dilemma when hunting roosters. If your dog points from a safe distance and holds rock-steady, the cock will be in the next county by the time you get there for the flush. Conversely, if the dog usually hunts pheasants and he gets used to picking up his point in order to follow and pin down running roosters, he is going to take out every covey of sharptails he encounters if he works them the same way.

Obviously English Setters are the classic grouse woods dog and the classic Northern prairie dog. There are also some Britts that are unbelievable in these rolls. Viszlas will tend to do their best work in-close on blues and pheasants. There are some that can get out and scratch it, though, so if you have your heart set on one, look around.

I breed, raise, hunt and field trial English Setters and have lots of experience on all the birds you mention (and several others). The one thing I would leave you with as the best piece of advice I can give is that you better get a medium-range dog that can reach out a bit (200+ yards) in open country to give you the best chance of finding far-flung coveys of sharptails. A good dog will adjust to cover and cut way back in the thick stuff, and you can always rein them in when necessary. But you absolutely, positively can not make a boot polisher reach out when you need it. You just won't find many prairie birds (sharpies, huns and such) with a 40 yard dog.

Good Dogwork and Good Hunting