Well, look at it this way. What I learned after I did the same thing as you is this:
The bucks that are stressed the most, and in the poorest body condition drop their antlers first. Bucks in great health and that aren't stressed drop their antlers late. I've seen bucks with antlers in late Feb.
So, there's the possibility that the buck that you shot might not have made it thru the winter if the winter turns out to be a hard one.
The buck that I shot in late ML season a few years ago had a broken rear leg. The leg bone overlapped itself about 1 1/2" and was starting to fuse itself back together. There was a knot on his leg about the size of a small softball. When I shot it I thought "Dang, that's a huge doe".
