best hunting dog?  

It depends on what your hunting. There are several groups of hunting type dogs. You have gun dogs like spaniels, retrievers, and setters. You have what are known as sight hounds such as greyhounds, salukis, and whippets.Finally, you have scent hounds such as bloodhounds.
Take your pick...

I think Border Collies are considered one of the best dog hunters in the sense that they have a natural tendency of chasing animals and other things around them, I do not own one though,

Blood hounds are the best dog used for hunting, as you would already know why they were named like that. They are one of the best and used for tracking people, other animals amd hunting. American police uses them, and I think also the Scotland yard. But they were famous during the medieval age for hunting pigs, rabbits, coyotes, etc..

I think it depends onwhether you want them to just flush or whether you need them to go in cold water and retrieve? I like German Shorthairs, and I would use a Lab for going into the water.

I believe that beagals are good hunting dogs. They will run down bears, deer, antelops, squirrels, pretty much everything.