The AP on Yahoo is reporting it was an "SKS semi-automatic rifle" a "typical" gun for hunting.
You can see the video linked from the Yahoo story here:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&ncid=716&e=5&u=/ap/20041122/ap_on_re_us/hunters_shot
The link for the AP video is next to the third picture down on the left hand side.
Is it really a "typical" gun for hunting? Would it be considered a deer rifle?