It's November 20th and I have a character who has reached the point where he's ready to do take on Njerpez camps and possibly survive. I was hoping to hire a couple woodsmen to help guard his back, but when I bring up the "ask for help/company" dialog box they all say they're not interested. The only person who wants to go on a journey with my character is an old man.

Just wondering, is this an intended feature (woodsmen are too busy in winter or something?) or a possible bug? I am sad to see my that my visions of leading an army of woodsmen into battle are not to be.

Not everyone you come across will hire themselves out if you ask. It's intended.

Try a different settlement, or try asking people you find wandering in the woods.

I eventually figured that out, but thanks for answering. That's actually a nifty feature.