AN A320 FLT CREW ON A NIGHT VISUAL APCH TO BTV GOT A GPWS 'TERRAIN; TERRAIN; PULL UP' WARNING WHEN THEY DSNDED BELOW MINIMUM RECOMMENDED ALT ON BASE TO FINAL TURN.

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DAY 3 OF A 4-DAY. FOURTH FLT OF THE DAY. LATE DEPARTING. NIGHT VISUAL APCH. ACR SPECIFIC PAGE SAYS TO STAY ABOVE 2000 FT WHEN ACCEPTING THE VISUAL SW OF THE ARPT. NOTED AND DISCUSSED TO INTERCEPT FINAL AT ABOUT 6 MI ON THE ILS. GOT CLRED THE VISUAL. WAS FOLLOWING GAME PLAN UNTIL APPROX ABEAM ILS 4 MI AND TURNED BASE. REALIZING I WOULD BE HIGH ON FINAL I STARTED A DSCNT WITH GEAR DOWN APPROX 200 KTS. I REALIZED I WAS DSNDING AND SHALLOWED MY DSCNT THEN GOT TERRAIN AHEAD FOLLOWED IMMEDIATELY BY 'TERRAIN; TERRAIN; PULL UP.' ALT APPROX 1700 FT. I EXECUTED THE TERRAIN AVOIDANCE MANEUVER AND CONTINUED TO AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG. FACTORS: ALTHOUGH I DID NOT FEEL TIRED; IT HAD BEEN A LONG DAY. DELAY IN ORD WITH A MINIMAL LAYOVER AFFECTED MY DECISION TO NOT FOLLOW MY OWN GAME PLAN WHICH WOULD HAVE KEPT ME WELL CLR OF TERRAIN. NIGHT VISUAL CUES INFLUENCED MY DESIRE TO 'TURN TOWARDS THE LIGHT' RWY. DSCNT INITIATED EARLY KNOWING I WAS TURNING INSIDE MY PLANNED INTERCEPT POINT AND WOULD BE HIGH ON FINAL. CREW COORD; COM AND CLIMATE WERE FINE; I JUST DIDN'T STICK TO THE PLAN. FIRST TIME INTO BTV.