>>1073026Holy shit. I used to hunt around Tuscon, I was stationed out of Ft. Huachuca.
>how do I know if the meat on the animal is bad or infestedFirst step is: Once you get up to the dead animal and before you've started cleaning it, does it look not-diseased? Second step is to be careful when gutting it, an animal with intestinal parasites (this is very uncommon in AZ) is still safe to eat, just don't go slopping piss, shit, or stomach contents all over the meat. Watch jewtube videos on field dressing, and be careful not to nick the stomach/intestines/bladder. If you do, rinse it off immediately with your drinking water (you will 100% have to have drinking water with you, hunting in AZ, year round) or if you made a real mess of it, cut the contaminated meat off and leave it. Final step is to cook your wild game to at least medium for anything but bears and pigs/peccaries (this is your javelina), cook those to medium well due to the risk of trichinosis.
The only parasite found in wild game that is actually in the muscle itself is trichinosis, and it can be killed by cooking to an internal temperature of 180*F which usually works out to about medium-well. The rest are found in the guts, which you're getting rid of.
>when I turn in the game is it at a butcher or local place?I haven't lived there in long enough I couldn't tell you what's around, but there should be several places that advertise as processing wild game. Most butchers will do it. Check for advertisements BEFORE hunting season, and if you want anything other than steaks out of the animal (IMO the only good use for javelina is sausage), scout out the places and see what cuts/specialty products they can and can't do.
