Spent 6 hours on a simple limb removal because of one hidden cable

Took on a small job over in Ridgeway last Tuesday, just a 12 inch oak limb hanging over a driveway, should have been an hour, hour and a half tops. Got my notch and back cut set, started to drop it, and it just stopped about 40 degrees in, way too early to be hinge wood. Climbed up there and found a cable from the power company running right through the branch, buried under about 2 inches of growth. Had to call the utility, wait for a guy to come out and shut the line down, and then finish the cut by hand with a pole saw because I didn't want to risk the chain. Anybody else got a trick for spotting old grown over cables before you start cutting, or is it just luck of the draw?