Whining and yelping in excitement is different from whining and barking for attention.
IMO they are almost one in the same. whining or barking for attention, whining and barking because of excitement are both an expression of anxiety.
Again I agree with Stilly here. At least as far as shorthairs go. When my GSP is whining it is because he wants something and he's not getting it. It could be that he knows we are going to go do something fun, or that I just put him in his dog run and he wants out, or that I'm not throwing his tennis ball fast enough. It is all because he's not getting what he wants. In the case of excitement, I feel like he's not saying "Oh Boy! We're going hunting!".... he's saying "Hurry up I want to go now and you're not going fast enough" or "Take me! Don't leave me! I really want to go!" Its all based on him not getting what he wants at that moment.
On a side note there is one case where I am glad he is a whiner and that is when he has to go outside to potty. He will always go sit at the door and if you aren't there to let him out after a few minutes he will start to whine and progressively get louder. This is nice for when you are distracted by something and don't notice he's sitting by the door. Where my Vizsla will just go sit by the door and not make a peep (unless she has the runs and she is in dire need of going out). I just feel bad for them if they have to sit there and hold it when they have to go.